


Fixer Upper (Choni-Riverdale)

by posiewosie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Gay, Lesbian, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 20:18:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 70,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16940022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posiewosie/pseuds/posiewosie
Summary: Sometimes when something is broken, it can't be fixed. Cheryl Blossom was convinced she was one of those broken things, doomed to be thrown away, forgotten from love.She's not broken, however.She's a Fixer-Upper.(Lots and lots and lots of smut. Like smut every chapter for the first half of the book)(Completed)(Lots and lots of smut)





	1. One

Look at her, sweating, despite the fact that the temperature in this house was set at 68. Wearing those overalls in a way that even I, of all people, couldn't criticize. I don't know how a sports bra could possibly be regulation in safety, but I don't think I cared, because the way her stomach muscles clenched while she banged the tiles from the kitchen walls with a hammer was something of a masterpiece, enthralling me in a way that made my thighs clamp shut. The hideous washed out pink in her hair was even growing on me as it stuck to her forehead, which beaded itself with sweat constantly from working so hard on the job I had hired her to do.

Today was her last day on the job, as she's just finishing the paint job before making her leave from my life forever, and this effected me in a negative way.

Work was hell for all of my employees, but I honestly could not bring myself to care about the terrible way I treated the employees of my fashion empire, as I was upset. This contractor, this Toni Topaz, was leaving my life, and I never got to sink my claws into that tan skin.

This is the exact reason why I decided to take the afternoon off. I sat there at the small, round table in the room between my first dining room and the kitchen she worked in, sipping on my iced tea and peering over a blank laptop screen at the woman as she reached up and curled down low to finish painting the walls the pale pink color I had requested of her. I remained silent the entire time, drinking in the sound of her heavy sighs or soft grunts deeper than I was downing the tea in my glass. I ran my fingers through my hair and bit my lip until it was sore at the way her back muscles tightened when she stretched upward, the veins in her neck strained as she worked to pound something into the wall with that trusty hammer of hers.

"Thank you for your service Miz Topaz." I hummed, looking up at her through my lashes as I grabbed my checkbook from my wallet and wrote in it quickly, handing it over so she could take it gratefully.

"Please," She scoffed politely, removing the baseball cap from her head and wiping the sweat from her hairline with her toned forearm before replacing the article of clothing, as well as a perfect smile of accomplishment. "I like being called Toni." She grinned.

"I bet that's not all they call you." I murmured under my breath in a blink.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" She blinked at my back question for a second before shrugging it off. "Well, if you ever need anything else, give me a call. I also work in maintenance as well if you need anything."

"Definitely," I hummed, blinking softly and slowly before biting my lip. Her grin morphed into a smirk, then her eyes met mine, then raked down, then back up my body for a moment, making my body buzz with excitement as her eyes rolled over my body with every inch. She dropped her tongue on the inside of her cheek, causing it to bulge out on the side of her mouth, a smack coming from the action.

"And if there's anything I can do for you," she brought her arm up above her head so she could lean against the doorway of the new kitchen slyly, her eyes raising up as she met my eyes, "if there's anything I can do TO you," she emphasized, and I hummed, tilting my chin up as I let out the slightly erotic sound from my throat, my eyes closed blissfully in thought of what she should do.

"Definitely," I repeated, a moan coming from my lips this time as I provoked this contractor.

"So long as I'm not crossing any lines, that is." She grinned, the tone of her voice low and gruff as she bit her lip up at me.

"I'm off work this afternoon, I paid for this house outright, and I live alone," I shrugged, "no lines to cross here." I hummed, "And you?" I rose a brow.

"As long as I know I'm not homewrecking." Toni said simply, "I'm not trying to get chased out of your bed by some guy with a gun."

"Oh, well the last thing I'd want living with me is a man." I assured.

"A man like that, at least." She joked and I rose a brow.

"Or a man at all." I insisted, and her eyes widened.

"You're actually a lesbian then?" She inquired as though surprised. "All of these propositions I get are from lonely housewives and bicurious daughters of employers." she explained.

"Well, at least if you're used to sleeping with straight girls then that means I can blow your mind." I suggested with a raised brow and a set of pursed lips, and she chuckled at me.

"I've never actually taken a proposal, Miz Blossom." She assured, "Like I said, I don't like crossing lines."

"Does that mean you won't take mine?" I pouted, and watched as she set down her tool back and rolled her head from side to side.

"There are no lines to cross here, Miz Blossom, now are there?" she asked, stepping closer to me, and I responded by leaning down and whispering in her ear.

"Call me Cheryl," I insisted, watching as her neck tensed with arousal. I leaned down, my face inches from hers, her breath on my lips before I met hers, her tongue immediately invading my mouth, massaging the roof of my mouth. I felt her hands reach around my waist, hands on my hips, gripping it as we kissed deeply, my hands coming around to tug on her pink locks submissively.

"Bedroom?" She breathed against my lips and I shook my head.

"Take me here first." I required, and I felt her grin on my mouth before her hands slowly moved down my waist, her lips across my jaw and down my neck. I rolled my head back with a moan just in time for her hands to caress my backside, using it to lift me into her arms and walk up to the newly finished kitchen counter, atop the island in the middle of my colossal kitchen. As soon as I was atop the cold surface, her hands moved to my white blazer to pull it down my arms, pushing it across the island, her lips latching to the tops of my breasts, above satin red fabric of my dress. My hands moved behind me to hold me up as I leaned back and felt for every trickle of Toni's lips on my chest, fingers tugging the fabric of my dress up my thighs at a tantalizingly slow pace.

I opened my eyes as my dress rode down and moved one arm to unhook the suspenders connected to her overalls, leaving her in that sports bra. I leaned back again, just in time for her to urge me to lift my hips by tugging on the fabric of my panties from beneath my dress. I complied, and she tugged them off completely, the air on my dripping sex causing a shudder to run up my spine in arousal. She hummed against the nipple of mine she had in her mouth, distracting me only for a moment before her fingers slid in and out of my folds. I whimpered for a moment, my back arching at its own accord as she toyed so skillfully with my sex. Her lips traced upward until she met mine again, her tongue flicking against mine in a way that made my thighs tremble, her thumb smoothly rolling my clit in smooth motions. I gasped against her mouth as her pace quickened, her tongue trailing down to my jaw, teeth grazing against the skin, pinching it expertly.

I reached forward with one hand and pulled her faded pink locks to bring her head down to my neck, where she immediately began the attention there with her teeth and tongue. I was rolling my hips against her thumb's rhythm, my body quaking as sweat rolled down my abdomen and my own arousal rolled down the swell of my backside. I could feel myself teetering over the edge as her pace quickened again.

Just then, I heard my cell phone ringing from the pocket of my blazer. I grunted in annoyance, then her pace slowed. "No, don't stop." I demanded. "Finish me now, please." I pleaded, something I never do for anyone, but I needed this, and I needed it quick.

Once asked, it seemed Toni knew what to do to get my there, because she moved her free arm under one of my legs, lifting it above her shoulder. She moved her body at an angle before the fingers in my folds slid down, sinking deep inside of me suddenly. I gasped, my back arching, hands gripping the countertop with white knuckles as her fingers moved so quick, it felt like she was vibrating before I came crashing down, my back falling flat against the cold granite of my new counter. She slowly rolled my clit to help ride out my orgasm, suggesting in a soft tone that I answer my still ringing phone. I sighed and reached into my pocket to do so, putting on a professional tone within my voice.

"Blossom Industries, this is Cheryl Blossom, how may I help you?" I probed my line, and was met with the voice of my assistant.

"Cheryl, I need you to come back in, if you're not too busy." Panicked Kevin, and I immediately sat up, softly pushing Toni out of the way as I pulled my dress up at the top, and down at the bottom.

"What happened?" I asked seriously as I turned to grab my blazer and put it on.

"A pipe bursted in the bathroom on the fashion department floor, and our old maintenance company was shut down last week, so we don't have anyone to fix it." she suggested, and I groaned before grabbing my purse from the kitchen table.

"I'm on my way," I assured, "See if the Andrew's boys from the construction place across the way can help in the meantime." I demanded before hanging up and heading out of the kitchen, only stopping to turn around and face a confused Toni. "I'm so sorry, Toni," I sighed, my stress levels through the roof. "I have to deal with a situation at work. You did amazing, thank you. Could you just lock up when you're done grabbing your things?" I inquired, not waiting for an answer before leaning down to kiss her lips and speed walking out the door.

I quickly ran to the car of mine in the driveway before peeling out and heading the mile down the property to head down to my company.

Once I had gotten back to work, I rushed to the 27th floor, where Kevin told me he was located with the construction crew, and was met with the younger Andrews boy, working on a pipe beneath a sink within the women's bathroom.

"Is everything back under control?" I inquired of the boy as he stood from his place.

"Yeah, it was just a minor leak," he chuckled.

"That did not look like a minor leak, Archie." Kevin chimed from against a stall door.

"Well, it could've been worse, considering the fact that whoever last fixed these pipes did a terrible job. They seemed to have used old house parts, rather than commercial, heavy duty pipes." Archie concluded before dropping his monkey wrench into his tool bag.

"Well, that's probably why Alvarado's got closed down. He's ripping people off." Groaned Kevin, and I nodded. "I'll go look for some more reliable maintenance crews in Riverdale." Kevin announced before walking out, not before taking my bag where he'd place it in my office.

"Thank you, Mister Andrews. How much do I owe you?" I asked, reaching into my pocket for my phone so I could access PayPal.

"No, nothing. My fiance works on this floor, so her safety is all the payment I need." He smiled as he picked up his bag and headed toward the exit with me. Once we left the bathroom, an assistant, Valerie Brown walked up and smiled at the redheaded man, her hand on his bare forearm softly.

"Is everything okay now?" She inquired of me, and I nodded. "Could you ask Geraldene from custodial to clean the water up for me?" I requested of my employee, and she nodded before leaning up to press her lips to the man beside me. "And please assure her I'll give her a bonus for this mishap." I demanded as she walked away.

After seeing Archie off, I went back to my office to decompress. I exhaled deeply as I sank into my big chair. I thought about how I couldn't even bask in the fact that I finally engaged with the woman of my affections because we were in the middle of a crisis. I thought about how I wouldn't have another afternoon off until the winter issue of Bombshell Magazine would be produced in another sixmonths. I also thought about how I had to find another company soon, and one that didn't charge too much, or didn't steal from me. Of course I thought about how I needed to finish the project that's been sitting on my design table for the last week.

That day remained just as stressful until I went home that evening. I always left last, because I always made it a point to work harder than every single one of my employees, so to ensure their knowledge that I respect all I require them to do.

At home, I did normal adult things, despite having built a million dollar company from nothing. I checked my emails, noticing invitations to things, including my ten year high school reunion. I had to RSVP to the wedding of my best friend, Josie, then I had to shop online for a gift for my brother's baby shower.

Admittedly, I was lonely, and everyone my age was getting married or having babies. Meanwhile, I was 27 and didn't even have a girlfriend. I haven't had a serious relationship since my girlfriend, Heather in high school. Unfortunately, we broke up a year into college and I vowed to work on my career before committing to anything serious again. Well, I've had this company for four and a half years and it's not going anywhere, I've just never been able to trust anyone enough not to be using me for my money or my status.

Sure, at the reunion, I'll be able to say I lived up to my yearbook title of most likely to be a millionaire, but I won't be able to truly say I was happy.

The next morning, I had been sitting in my office when I saw Kevin walk in through the glass walls of my office. He knocked on the always open door and I voiced for him to come in, only then noticing a familiar head of pink hair, attached to a body covered in a red flannel and I leather jacket. My eyes widened when we met eyes, and she simply smiled at me calmly.

"Miss Blossom, this is the new maintenance engineer I hired, Toni Topaz. I checked her credentials and her reviews. She seems to be the most reliable company I could find."

"And price range?" I cleared my throat, lifting a pen so I could take note of his logic.

"She requires sixteen a year." He explained and I rose a brow.

"We can't afford Sixteen million a year." I scoffed, and Toni spoke up.

"Sixteen thousand a year, Miz Blossom." she corrected, and I sighed.

"Fine. Show her the manuals and guide books, please." I asked of my assistant before standing up and doing my routine that comes with every new employee. "Welcome to Blossom Fashion Industries, Miss Topaz," I smiled tightly, dreading this as I reached a hand forward for her to shake, "I trust you'll respect this company, as you now represent it. There is no dress code, as I wish for my employees to feel free to express themselves through their wardrobe. As long as you keep in mind that we have an image to maintain, I also trust you'll help to keep that. You're allowed lunch breaks, and I'll have a copy of our company policy on your desk in the morning." I finished, not taking my hand, or eyes from hers.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Miz Blossom." She smiled brightly, making my body tense at the way my heart clenched in my chest.

"My employees all call me Cheryl. You're no exception." I smiled softly. "You're both dismissed. Kevin, I need the new Brendon Urie cover samples so I can dress him."

This was going to prove difficult.


	2. Two

I've noticed I am more inspired to write when people like what I am producing, so you guys commenting, sharing and voting on this story will ensure a faster, better quality update. Enjoy :)

It had been a week since Toni Topaz was hired as the maintenance woman of Blossom Industries, and it was only an inconvenience for me when I was forced to see how good of an employee this woman was. I walked in the day after I hired her and caught her fixing the loose screws in my desk, after having installed curtains around the length of my transparent office walls and fixing the squeaky door that always stopped me from closing it, so to keep my employees from the distraction of hearing the obnoxious noise.

Just yesterday, I was able to use the elevator nearest my office for the first time in over a year because she had spent the morning repairing it. Before going home around six, an hour later than everyone else, she has asked if I needed anything else from her before her departure every single day since the day she started.

It all just added sexuaal fuel to the tense fire I had ignited between us because God knows that ambition and professionalism are two of the sexiest characteristics I find in people, and she had those, as well as the beautiful smile, strong arms, stable career and kind eyes. If I found out she could cook, I might have just abandon all my professional integrity and propose to her.

"Good morning, boss." Grinned Toni for the eighth day in a row, right on time at seven in the morning, an hour and a half earlier than anyone else arrives. She had a black bandana tied around her head, a little knot showing at the front of it. One of the straps to her overalls hung off her shoulder, a black tank top beneath the denim. Her look was finished with a choker and a pair of black and white Vans shoes. Not bad. "Do have a list of things for me to do, or should I just go straight to Kevin once he gets here?" Toni asked, her beautifully bright smile burning a hole into my chest.

"There's a loose bolt on one of the stalls in the nineteenth floor bathroom. If you could fix that before he gets here, you'll have time to finish the things on his list." I suggested, not looking up from the spreadsheets on my desk, unwilling to completely melt under her lovely gaze as I had at the tips of her fingers just a week before.

"Is there anything else? I could accomplish that in the time it would take you to finish." she explained, and her second sentence made my eyes widen.

"Excuse me?" I exhaled in surprise.

"Your yogurt?" she finished, eyeing the small, half eaten container sitting patiently on my desk, having been forgotten as I became invested in the issue in front of me.

"Oh, yes." I exhaled in relief before clearing my throat. "Well, just look around, I'm sure you'll find something. Though, not in here. You've done enough jobs in my office." I commended, and she shrugged.

"It was my pleasure." she quipped, causing me to finally look up at her in bewilderment.

"Right..." I deadpanned, squinting at myself for being so overly sensitive.

"Though to be fair, I did so for completely selfish reasons." she added, and it made me think of how selfish I was that day, leaving her with nothing like she gave me.

"And why is that?" I cleared my throat again.

"...Permission to speak freely?" She requested, and I nodded.

"Granted."

"There's no way for you to have privacy with a broken door and an office made of glass." she said fairly. There wasn't really a way to misinterpret that. Maybe it was okay. "And the desk, it's hard to imagine explaining how your desk broke when an employee comes in and catches you lying atop a pile of wood that once was your desk." She explained, and my eyebrow rose to my hairline in confusion.

"Why would I be lying on top of my desk?" I inquired innocently, and she just grinned at me.

"That's the part that will be hard to explain." she turned to walk away, her eyes floating in her head to keep them glued to my face.

"I don't get it." I hummed, and she grinned harder, causing my heart to snatch in my chest.

"I could never have sex with someone on an unstable surface. Not with the way I do it." She smirked at me harshly, "I'm sure you would know."

If I had something in my mouth, I would have choked on it before she left my office.

...

The day remained as every other had; my mind swimming, unable to undivide itself from Toni. I ultimately decided that I needed to go home, and set off into my red cadillac to drive home and lie on my couch.

I took a nap, and I dreamt of something amazing, though long forgotten once I had awoken, and decided to watch an episode of Queer eye to distract my mind from the woman who clouded my thoughts. I loved Tan, because he reminded me most of myself.

He's so self aware, and his fashion sense was absolutely flawless.

Toni reminded me of a mixture between Karamo and Bobby, and not because together, their kids would be the same color as her. She had this sense of fearlessness about her,as demonstrated today in my office, which reminded me so deeply of Karamo, and she had this butch, manliness about her that screamed his name. As for Bobby, she had the artistic eye he does. She looks at little things and she brings out the best in them. I'd soon realize that I was no exception to that ability.

I soon lost track of what episode I was on, as I was becoming immersed in my own thoughts, about how angry I was that things had ended up as they had. About how I'm lonely and will never admit that out loud. About how hard it is finding love in a city where everyone knows what kind of money you must make on a daily basis.

My thoughts were cut off when I heard the bell to my front door ring throughout the halls of my big, empty house. I blinked before standing up, folding my small blanket back up, and walking towards the foyer.

I looked through the peephole and was met with those pink locks again. I rolled my eyes at her relentlessness and opened the door, despite my reservations in regards to what had happened this morning.

"Miz Topaz," I hummed, trying my hardest to seem disinterested in her antics, but she simply ignored it and grinned a huge, face eating grin before reaching her hands out, presenting a tall container of something liquid.

"I heard from Kevin that you were sick, and I figured you'd maybe appreciate some lentil soup. I wasn't sure of your diet, so I made sure it was vegan and gluten free. One hundred percent healthy." she assured, and I grabbed the container, opening the door to let Toni in.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Miz Topaz." I thanked as I closed the door before walking to the kitchen. "Though, I wish I was actually sick, because now I feel a little bad." I admitted quickly before taking a seat at the island, something the two of us had become very well acquainted with together. She sat beside me and looked at me in slight confusion.

"Is something wrong? Do you need any help?" she inquired seriously, and I felt my chest ache at the feeling of being cared about again, even if it was so small as this.

"No," I cleared my throat, so to regain the composure I had not outwardly lost, "I just needed to get out of my own head." I exhaled, my hands coming up to my head softly for emphasis.

"What trapped you in there?" She inquired, the answer to which had come out before a second had passed to allow me to hold back any out of line speech.

"You."

"Oh?" Hummed the contractor, and I nodded, internally chastising myself for being so unfiltered when the time had not called for it.

Though I'd soon learn that any time with Toni Topaz would call for vulnerability.

"We never really..." I exhaled in exasperation at myself as I gestured with my hands to try and find the words I was looking for in the instance that found me speechless under the pressure of speaking so privately with this painfully beautiful woman. "Talked about what happened, and now you're working for me, I can't help but feel a little apprehensive." I settled lastly.

"Apprehensive about what, may I ask?" She asked with slight intrigue.

"Allowing myself to feel, despite the fact that we now have a deeply personal relationship."

"What makes it different now from what it was last week when I was redoing your kitchen?" She inquired, gesturing around the room for emphasis.

"For me, the second you finished was the second things were less professional." I explained, "You said it yourself, you don't want to cross any lines." I reminded.

"That was before I knew what it was like to hear you say my name like that." she said smoothly, almost as though she had rehearsed it, and I had to adjust the way I was sitting to stop myself from losing control. "There isn't a rule that says Blossom employees can't be together. So what is it really?"

"What makes you assume that this is anything but an external conflict?" I asked, my back straightening itself to keep composure.

"You have nothing to lose physically." Rationalised Toni as she folded her hands together in a way that was obviously meant to challenge me. "In fact, I'm sure you have a few things to gain from regular orgasms, if the health and sex sections in your magazines are correct. You won't lose money, or a reputation, so what is it? Are you closeted? Did you just go through a divorce? Were you lying when you said you were gay?"

"No! God, no." I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh. "Look, I'm just not good at emotions, okay? I haven't dated anyone since college, and I'm really used to being invested in work." I sighed, my mind slightly at ease now.

"Who said anything about emotions?" Asked Toni, a smirk creeping its way onto that beautiful face of hers. "I'm all for physical." She promised, her hands coming up to tie her hair up into a messy half-bun-half-ponytail. "If that's what you want, of course." she finished, allowing the suggestion to hang in the air for a moment.

I thought over my options for a moment, good and hard.

She was right, to be fair. What did I have to lose, honestly? Maybe stress, but in no world is that a bad thing, ever. To have great sex, no strings attached, with one of the hottest women in all of Riverdale, with no consequences at all? I'd be daft not to take such a deal.

"Okay." I hummed, my lips pursed as I looked her in the eyes deeply, awaiting her next move.

I'd learn that my first mistake was saying yes. My second was looking into her eyes, and my third was taking her hand, pulling her up the stairs to my big, empty house, and leading her to my bedroom.

She closed the door, for some reason, and turned back to me to take my hips in her hands and her tongue between my lips. She pulled me close, her soft, warm tongue stroking the roof of my mouth, her fingers trickling up my stomach, beneath my top. She began guiding me by my hips backward toward my bed, where she allowed me to take a seat and broke our kiss. She looked me in the eyes with every moment she spent removing her overalls, then her tank top. Her shoes were discarded, and she was left in only her underwear as she hovered above me, eyes dark and hooded as she bit her lip at me.

She pulled my top up over my head, leaving my chest only covered by a bra, which she quickly removed. She then pushed my chest with her hand, willing me to lie back onto the bed. She bit her lip as her hands moved to the waistband of my slacks and tugged them down my long legs, her eyes floating around as she scanned my body with them, drinking in the sight of my chest as it heaved in anticipation.

"I want to eat you out," she husked, and I shuddered before reaching up for her hand and pulling her closer.

"Please do," I hummed, my center flooding at her words alone. She reached behind her to remove her bra, leaving me breathless at the sight of her beautifully full orbs that so gracefully rested upon her chest. She leaned down to remove her black briefs and walked toward me, her legs running longer than the time I spent thinking about the way they'd look wrapped around my face. She stalked toward me, straddling my hips as she ran her fingers through my hair and leaned down to press her lips against mine. I felt her suck on my lips, and I closed my eyes in ecstasy. Her lips floated down my body, leaving kisses and bites here and there, on the inside of my breasts, down the valley of them, down my abdomen, to my thighs. She kissed the tops of them and closed her teeth around the flesh of one, soothing it with her slick, hot tongue. She brought two fingers between my soaking folds, causing my thighs to tremble in anticipation for the feeling of her tongue inside of me.

She moaned, closing her eyes and dropping her head back, "You already feel so good, Miz Blossom." She hummed, bringing her soaked fingers to her lips, to which my clit twitched with excitement. She leaned down again, and replaced her fingers with her tongue. She hummed against my folds, causing me to whimper in pleasure. She stroked my warm valley with her tongue, gathering my arousal with her tongue and dragging it down to my tight center, where she very swiftly entered, causing my walls to seize around her strong limb. She reached one hand up to roll my clit between two fingers. She circled her tongue inside of me, flicking up and down to make my hips buck into her face at their own accord.

The short nails of her left hand dug sharply into my thigh. The pain exciting me as she brought me close to the edge.

"I'm close," I moaned, just before her tongue began to curl upward, making my thighs convulse, my head swim, throat constrict as she hit my G-spot in a deliciously rhythmic way. My throat tightened as my head fell back, making me let out a strangled moan at the feeling of my walls being stroked in waves of pre-orgasmic bliss. "Toni, I'm so close!" I repeated, grasping at her pink locks tightly between my fingers. It wasn't much longer before a particularly long, slow lurch of her tongue sent me over the edge, where my hips fell forward violently, legs convulsing uncontrollably as I breathed and whimpered and groaned all at the same time, falling flat to the bed as her strokes grew shorter, easing herself out of me with each roll of her head against my expended sex. She licked from my hole, up my folds once more until she reached my clit, where she flicked the sensitive nub once more, then began trailing up my abdomen, back up between my breast, my neck, jaw, then to my lips.

I'd always liked my own taste and it was nice for me not to have to tell her that. I moaned against her lips over the taste of my own arousal and felt her grin against me before lifting herself away and looking down at me, breasts hanging close to my face as I caught my breath again.

"You taste phenomenally." She complimented, a soft smile reaching her eyes as she so closely looked at me.

"And you're really good at that." I complimented back.

"What can I say?" She grinned playfully, biting her lip slightly, "I'm a go-getter, I try to be the best at everything."

"That explains it." I chuckled lazily, bringing my arms up behind my head as she dropped to lay on the left side of me.

"Explains what?" She asked in amusement.

"How you can juggle a contracting company, a maintenance company, and working for Blossom Industries with ease." I humored, "You're an over-achieving kiss-up."

"Hey," she scolded in defense, a playful glare in her warm brown eyes. "I live alone in LA with no college experience and animals to feed." She justified, "I have no life, so it's not hard to do what I'm good at all the time when I don't have anything better to do." she added before smirking, "As for the kiss-up part, I was just trying to get into your pants." She teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"I knew nobody was that hard of a worker." I persecuted, and she shrugged before turning on her side, lying her head in her hands as she looked at me from above. "What about you?" She asked, and I rose a brow.

"What about me?"

"How do you balance it all? You run a multi-million dollar company that you managed to build from the ground up, single handedly, and the biggest problems you have to deal with are plumbing and loose bolts on bathroom doors. How do you do it?" She inquired, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Well, I grew up living with my mom's friend's wife, who was an amazing lady, but she didn't have a lot of money when he left her with her two daughters, her son, and my brother and I. I always promised myself I'd pay her back for all the amazing things she's done for my brothers and sisters." I found my chest slowly becoming lighter, being able to talk to someone about my life and how I grew up. Nobody really knew the intensity of the situation, not even Alice, my mother's replacement.

"What happened with your mom?" She asked with intrigue.

"She was really abusive, and one day, she wasn't careful enough not to make a mark on me, and my big brother told someone at school about it. Alice, my other mom found out about it a few months into the foster system and adopted us."

"I'm so sorry, Cheryl." She sighed, a look of distaste for my so-called mother's impression on her. 

"I'm happy this happened." I shrugged, the shake of my head added for emphasis. "I'm strong, independent, successful, and I'm filthy rich. If Penelope was the way every other Blossom was, I'd be directionless and spoiled. Now, I'm a businesswoman."

"Doesn't that get lonely?"

"Definitely," I nodded easily, "but I want a big family, and I know that I'll get that when I'm completely ready. A little bit of loneliness now is worth a lifetime of happiness with the woman I love." It was comfortably silent for a moment before the same questions itched at me.

"What was your childhood like?" I retorted.

"Not great." She sighed honestly, "My dad left when my mom got pregnant with me, my mom died giving birth to me, I lived with my uncle til I was sixteen, got on a bus to LA after he kicked me out for being bisexual. I did what I had to do to get by until I found the Serpents."

"The Southside Serpents?" I asked, my brow raised, and she nodded.

"My best friends, Lucy, Sweetpea and Fangs basically raised each other."

"What kind of name is Sweetpea? And Fangs?" I laughed, and she snorted back.

"Sweets' name is Leslie. Fangs' name is actually Franklin, but he hates it. We call Lucy Lulu. It's a Serpent thing." She shrugged, causing me to raise my brow again.

"What's your real name?" I asked with more amusement, and she grinned.

"I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you first." she teased, and I gasped playfully.

"I'm your boss!" I joked, "I deserve to know your first name!" She closed her eyes and shook her head defiantly, her smile thin and soft, and I rose to sit up before leaning over her to tickle her between her neck and shoulders, causing her to squirm. I laughed at her movements before leaning up to kiss her face playfully, continuing my antics relentlessly.


	3. Three

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm blasting by my head. I quickly shut it off and rubbed my eyes before sitting up. I had recently made it a goal of mine not to check my phone until I am completely ready for my day, so to make my waking up process easier for me. I usually wait until breakfast, when I have nothing to entertain me as I eat.

I blinked a few times and turned to my left, where I was met with an empty bed. I sighed in slight disappointment, but slid out of bed to face my day, nonetheless.

I showered, then I dressed myself, brushed my teeth and accessorized before heading downstairs. I had ultimately decided on a black pant suit, paired with red stilettos and a matching button up top. I had an important meeting with Josie McCoy, the face of next month's issue of Bombshell Magazine, and one of the most phenomenal recording artists since Whitney Houston.

Admittedly, she was someone I had been interested in meeting for a long time, considering the fact that I had watched her rise to fame in the tabloids since before I made my first million. Not to mention the fact that I'd been attracted to her from the moment I saw her face.

Today was professional, however, and that was okay.

I jogged down the stairs, and heard rustling in the kitchen, followed by the smell of something pleasant.

"Glad to see you're up." Smiled Toni from the island where she was setting down a plate of bacon. "I went out to the store this morning to buy some food. I'm sure you worked up an appetite last night." She winked at me as she pushed and empty plate across the counter toward me. I sat down silently and awaited her to seat herself across from me, only for her to take the seat beside me. She pulled a plate of waffles from the middle of the counter, and I forked one, placing it on my plate and reaching for the honey and bowl of berries.

"I don't know what compelled you to come back here." I chuckled sadly as I topped my waffles with a handful of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the company, and the meal," it was an understatement, the idea of someone caring about me made my gut wrench in an unfamiliar way, "I just don't see why you'd drive all the way back into the Riverdale district just to make your boss breakfast." I justified as I drizzled honey over the fruit and waffle.

"I like taking care of people," she shrugged, "I also love being in the kitchen. It was pretty much the only thing I did when I got my own place in the Sweetwater district. I was amazed by the fact that food consisted of more than just frozen lunches, jelly sandwiches and boxed dinners, so I decided to learn how to make all kinds of stuff. If I could, I'd sleep in the kitchen." She joked, and I rose a brow.

"Is there anything you can't do?" I teased, and she shrugged simply.

"Nothing that I'm interested in. I make sure I'm being my best at everything, so that I can't say the I play a 'little piano' or that I know 'a little' about cars."

"Wait, so you play piano too?" I scoffed, and she shrugged, yet again.

"I could teach you, if you'd like." She offered before forking a piece of sausage onto her plate.

"I'd love that." I smiled, my fork blindly cutting off a piece of the food I was anticipating.

I moaned at the taste, closing my eyes as I chewed slowly, the buttery flavor assaulting my taste buds in a way that made me see stars beneath my eyelids. "God," I hummed, "at this rate, come live with me." I joked, and she laughed at me slightly.

We spent the rest of breakfast in an animated chat, undeniably intrigued by the other, despite the fact that our banter remained playful and sly. I saw her out, and off the driveway before sliding into my own vehicle and zooming off to work.

Once at work, I had tidied my office in preparation for my meeting with Josie McCoy, as if I hadn't already done so every day for the past week. I straightened out my outfit and waited, eyes glued to the outside of my glass office walls in anticipation for Josie's arrival, doing a little research on Toni, based on the files I had in my own system.

Her real name was honestly worse than Leslie and Franklin.

Still though, she still had an effect on me. Her strong arms made me weak, her lips a drug that I wanted to stay addicted to.

Soon, the time for the building to open for the employees came, and I watched all the early birds come in.

I watched as people filed in, my lips quirking when I saw a certain pink-haired woman walking straight toward my office, two cups in her hands. She stepped through and sat one on my desk, a smile on her face as she met my eyes deeply.

"Good morning, Miz Blossom." Grinned the shorter woman, "Two sugars, almond milk, no foam." She winked, and I felt my grin intensify as I lifted the cup's brim to my lips, then up to my nose, where I inhaled the scent, humming in pleasure.

"Thank you," my grin morphed into a playful smirk as I leaned against my desk, looking at her in amusement, "Antoinette." I winked, causing Toni's face to contort in disgust.

"I'm sorry you had to find that out." She apologized distastefully as I walked past her, to the curtains of my glass walls, closing them, and engulfing us in darkness. I watched through the dim lights from the morning sun, through the blinds of the windows as Toni walked across my office to turn on the lamp that sat on a bookshelf in the corner.

"I think it's sweet." I admitted, sauntering toward the contractor, my arms wrapping themselves around her waist, where they felt as though they belonged. "Another layer that lay beneath the surface of Toni Topaz, sexy contractor with pink hair and rippling muscles." My voice grew softer with each word, my eyes trailing along her body as I spoke, my fingertips caressing her bare biceps with the last part of my sentence.

"Sexy, huh?" She grinned, moving her hips slightly as she grew closer, forearms wrapping up around my shoulders.

"Mm," I hummed before pressing my lips against hers deeply. "Really sexy." I commended, and she pulled away, only enough so we could look into each other's eyes, but not far enough for me not to feel her smile against my lips.

"You're pretty sexy yourself." She assured, and I shrugged, eyeing down her body.

"I know," I smiled softly, lips trailing down her jaw, to the side of her neck, where I opened my lips, ready to be replaced by teeth, scraping along her soft, warm skin.

She shuddered against me, leaning back into the wall beside the book case as I leaned into her, my knee grinding into her center. Her hands trembled beside my head, fingers seemingly trying to decide whether they'd curlin my clean, crisp hair, or just suffer by clutching around the palpably painfully plentiful amount of space between us. I slowly unhooked the single latch on her overalls that covered her chest, allowing her pants to fall very loosely around her hips.

"This okay?" I asked, my lips pressing against the shell of her ear, causing her to shudder into her nod. I chuckled before leaning down and kissing her jaw, my fingers toying with the waist of her panties, dipping them in and out, just barely touching her waist as I licked her jawline. I watched her stomach muscles tense up when I bit her skin, and felt her wrists tense up against my shoulders as she tried to keep her composure. She hummed, eyes closed as she awaited my touch, her head leaning back, flashing her throat at me. I smirked and moved down, sinking my teeth into the tendons there, causing them to tense as she hissed.

"Please," She whispered, "Touch me, Cheryl. Please." she pleaded, the gruff, raspy tone of her voice making my skin tingle in arousal. I complied, against my own initial wishes, only to focus on a new goal. I slowly dipped my hand beneath the fabric of her panties and felt for her warm, wet folds between my fingertips. I closed my eyes and moaned at the feeling, being nestled between her like this, making my centre tremble.

I rolled my thumb over over her clit and toyed with the entrance on my fingertips. She pulled me closer to her so she could moan into my ear. "I don't need you inside," she assured, "I like it like this." she breathed, and my back tensed as I fought off my own orgasm, as sad and pathetic as that may sound. It was sexy, how composed and strong she seemed on the outside, but really, she can fall apart at the slight stroke of my fingertips. God, it was so hot.

I replaced my thumb with my first two fingers and began a pace, allowing her to buck into me, her hands gripping my shoulders as she fought back moans and replaced them with tiny mewls. Her eyes were screwed shut, lips pursed and jaw slack as her head rolled forward, along with her hips into my hand.

Ready to relent, I quickened my pace, feeling her body tighten as she neared her orgasm. I kissed her throat and continued my antics, until a strangled wine fell from her lips, knuckles white as the fist connected had balled itself tightly. She body twitched, and I watched as her body fell backward in exhaustion, chest heaving, hips still rolling as I helped her ride down her high.

Once my circles had stopped, she opened her eyes and took my wrist in her hand, wrapping her lips around my fingers to taste herself. She closed her eyes in bliss as she sucked on my fingers sexily. She smirked up at me around my fingers and released them with a smack before bending down and pulling her overalls back on, eyes stuck in mine the entire time.

"Your turn." She whispered, a her tone devilish as she rested her hand upon my chest, guiding my backward, until she was guiding me into my big, comfy chair where she straddled my thighs, immediately grinding into me, hands resting together behind my neck as her forearms rested on my shoulders. "I'm ready to make you feel good, prince-"

"Miss Blossom," I panicked when I heard my assistant's voice, and shoved Toni away by, causing her to fall on the ground beside me, just as the door opened, revealing Kevin, as well as the one and only Josie McCoy. I quickly reached over and pumped some hand sanitizer into my hand, rubbing them together before shaking her hand with my left hand, the one not defiled as of this morning.

"Good morning, Miss McCoy." I smiled nervously, and her eyes trailed to the woman lying on the floor, looking up at the chair I no longer sat in.

"Toni?" Asked Josie to the woman on the floor, who looked up and jumped to her feet excitedly.

"Josie!" She grinned, opening her arms to embrace the singer.

"I'm sorry, the two of you know each other?" I inquired, and the two simply smiled at each other.

"Oh yeah, we go way back." Josie reminisced.

"I met her at the queer youth center when I was seventeen." Toni offered, "Her mom-slash-manager said it was important for her to reach out to her demographic so she could gain some fans, and we've been friends for the last ten years."

"That's amazing." I commended, seating myself and picking up my notebook to write down the tidbit of information.

"What are you doing here?" Josie asked of Toni, who looked at me in a panic.

"I hired her on a couple weeks ago. We needed an extra set of hands here at Bombshell Magazine." Kevin said after a beat, and I thanked God for him, reminding myself to give him a raise for saving me from a world of embarrassment.

"We have to catch up after your shift." Required Josie, and Toni grinned.

"I'd love that." I felt myself smile at the tone in Toni's voice as she turned to me. "I'll be at my desk if you need anything..." her eyes trailed over me subtly, "... Miss Blossom." She winked, and I shifted, uncomfortable with the wetness of my panties rubbing against my sex. She walked past me and followed Kevin out of my office, closing my door behind her. I exhaled slightly, closing my eyes in relief that the tense moment was officially over.

"Shall we get to work?" I asked with a smile, and she nodded before sitting down.

"It's great to finally meet you. You're a true inspiration to women everywhere, honestly. I'm honored that you want to interview me over that Jughead guy." She laughed, and I grinned, tucking my hands beneath my knuckles.

"This is your issue, Josie. You're the face of Bombshell Magazine next month, and I want you to have it exactly the way you want. So tell me," I grinned, genuinely excited at the idea of making an issue dedicated to my hero. "How do you want this to go? Are we doing a sexy feature, something serious, are we promoting your activism? What about your cosmetic line?" She seemed excited as she leaned forward, a smile in her eyes.

"Can we do something different?" She grinned, and I rose a brow.

"For you? Anything!" She bit her lip and rummaged around in her bag for something, pulling out a velvet purple box. She opened it, turned it to me and slid it across the desk in front of me, revealing a gigantic diamond ring.

"I'm gonna propose to my girlfriend this weekend, and I want you to cover the story, and the announcement." The genuine smile in her eyes made my heart flutter. It was beautiful, seeing someone be so in love with another person.

"I never realized it was that serious." I cooed as I picked up the box and assessed the rock excitedly.

"We've been together almost three years, but we didn't want to make a big deal of it, so we just kept it to ourselves until recently. So, yeah, it looks like we just started dating to the media." She looked down at the piece of jewelry with a soft, warm set of eyes, and a smile that dazzled me, even when she wasn't trying. "I love her more than anything though, and I want the whole world to know how much." It was almost as though she was whispering, like she was saving it for the world. Like saying it too loud would reveal the surprise too soon.

"I'd be honored to do this for you." I promised, and she squealed excitedly, standing up and rounding my desk to hug me, rocking side to side quickly, as though she was too ecstatic to stay still for even a minute.

I couldn't wait to be in love like that.

We talked about the plans for the proposal, as well as what she wanted covered in her story, for the next two hours. We set appointments for the interviews, as well as games she deemed appropriate for the couple to play on camera for the official Bombshell Magazine Website. She mentioned that she wanted me to be there, as well as a photographer, so to capture the genuine moments of the proposal.

"If you don't mind, the only person I trust to take my pictures flawlessly is Toni. Can you bring her?" I rose my brow in confusion.

"I'm sorry?" I perked my ears up, and she chuckled.

"You hired her on as a new photographer, right? I want her to take the photos of my engagement. She's the best one I know, and she knows Veronica, so it won't be suspicious if she comes with us." I felt as though my decisions had all come crashing down on me in that moment, absolutely conflicted, while knowing exactly what had to be done in order to please my personal hero.

"Of course, she'll be coming." I said, wincing as the double meaning passed through my tainted brain.

"This is going to be perfect!" She cheered excitedly as she grabbed her things and stood to head toward the door. I followed her, grabbing the handle to open it.

"I'll see you this Friday, Josie." I smiled sweetly, and she chuckled before looking me in the eyes, a shift in mood, only slightly as she smirked.

"I hope you're better at hiding then than you were when I walked in."

"What do you mean?" I asked in a slight panic, and she chuckled.

"Smeared lipstick, loud thud before I walked in and found her on the floor with lipstick all over her neck?" She said rhetorically with a wicked look in her eyes, causing my cheeks to heat up. "Plus, I know when she's attracted to someone, she does that thing with her eyes." She winked at me suggestively, and I felt my head pound in embarrassment. "You're both grown-ups." she laughed at my expression, "Just don't hurt her." Her tone grew serious suddenly, and I shook my head.

"It's not like tha-" She interrupted me.

"You may think it's not like that, but trust me, it is. I didn't even have to know what she tasted like, and it was just like that. She's not just someone you mess with, Cheryl. She's someone you fall for until you can't get up." With that, she opened the door herself and walked out, blowing me a kiss as she walked through the maze of desks and out of the main floor.

I didn't know it yet, but this would become the reality of my relationship with Toni Topaz.


	4. Four

Sexy (as always), sweet and emotional! Have fun with this extra long chapter babes!

Maybe it wasn’t such a terrible idea to go on this trip with Josie and Toni after all. So far, Toni and I had just been driving to McCoy Manner, the house of Josie McCoy, just inside of the Jingle Jangle district. 

The Jingle Jangle district of Hollywood was too nice for me even. I could afford a place there, yes, but that was where people like singer/songwriter Josie McCoy and famed model/actress Veronica Lodge lived. I would feel left out, being a person who doesn’t have a talent that makes her indisposable. I liked living in the Riverdale district, it was a nice medium between Sweetwater and Jingle Jangle. 

Once Toni had driven her giant green gay Jeep up through the long driveway, a gate unlocked, allowing her to drive another five minutes or so, up to a giant mansion, one at least eight times bigger than mine. 

Realistically, mine was only barely considered to be a mansion, but it was definitely bigger than anything I needed. I bought such a big house because I was always sick of not having a big, comfortable place to sleep where I didn’t share a room with Betty, Polly, Jason and Charles, so I over compensated, and now I have a house with rooms I’ve never been in. 

“Hey, guys!” Grinned Josie as she opened the large door to her house to hug me. From the door ran a little Pomeranian, yapping up at me from five and a half feet below me. “Gypsy, get inside.” Josie demanded calmly of the animal, who did as she asked, almost without blinking. Usually, I’m not a dog person, but if you could get one to behave like that, I’d probably be able to tolerate it, if it didn’t come near me. Or look at me. 

“Ready to go?” Toni asked with a big grin on her face, and Josie nodded before opening the door completely, revealing a regular sized Louis Vuitton suitcase, alongside a Gucci duffle bag. 

“Ronni, it’s time to go, baby!” Called the songwriter up the stairs, and a moment later, the raven haired woman appeared with a simple Jansport backpack. 

“Hi,” Grinned Veronica as she ran down the stairs to me, where she shook my hand before hugging me tightly. I awkwardly hugged back and waited for her to pull away. “I’m a huge fan of you, Miss Blossom. When Jo told me you wanted to do an activism issue with her next month, I practically screamed.” She said honestly, hoisting the duffle bag on her shoulder and taking the suitcase in her other hand. I rose a brow at her words, but smiled in stifled laughter over the fact that she brought three bags of a two day trip. 

“I’m honored to hear that, honestly. I’ve been watching your movies for years, so seeing you in the flesh without screaming is proving to be quite difficult.” I joked, easing the tension that I seemed to have caused with my stiff hug. 

It wasn’t her fault, honestly. I usually just hate intimacy. Don’t ask why Toni’s never triggered such a reaction, I could never tell you. I didn’t feel the same kind of pressure I feel with others, and I didn’t know if that was good or bad as of now. 

“Well, maybe we can get drunk and fangirl to each other later.” Joked the Actress before turning to Toni with a big, goofy grin on her face. She squealed and threw herself into Toni’s arms, the two rocking side to side a few times as they laughed with their movements. “I’m so excited for this couple’s outing!”

And suddenly the tension was back. 

I side eyed Toni, whose eyes smiled as her lips smirked. 

“Oh, me too.” 

… 

We had driven an hour to the outskirts of LA,where Toni drove through a small opening in a wall of trees, where Veronica owned a little deepin the forest, where she claimed to have spent time on acting retreats when she was studying film at UCLA. 

“How is it that you haven’t been here in months, but it’s completely dust free?” Toni asked as we all looked around the front room,her finger swiping across the top of the fireplace. 

“I hired a cleaning crew to remove all the spider webs and dust bunnies.” Veronica divulged easily, dropping her bags by a door down the hall. 

“Yeah, Toni “broke bitch Topaz,” quipped Josie playfully as she took a seat on the beautiful leather couch in the front room, “It’s called having money.”

“Whatever, McCrackhead.” She rolled her eyes back before taking my bag in her other hand. “Which room is ours, Ron?” Toni asked kindly, the change in tone almost comedic as she grinned sweetly at the hispanic woman. 

“You’d be stupid to think I’d change your room after all this time.” Veronica returned, just as sweetly, despite the mild insult. Toni’s smile grew sarcastically before walking toward the hallway, where I followed her. She opened the door, and we looked around, where I immediately noticed a large, round bed hanging from the ceiling, fairy lights and mesh hanging from each wire that held the bed up against the ceiling. It had little pillows all around it, aside from the entrance, which faced the door. Beneath the entrance of the canopy was a light blue, fuzzy rug, which matched the bed in both color and shape. There was a white a blue lamp, which sat upon a small white table in the far corner. In the middle of the wall was a small book shelf, where a pretty speaker of the same light blue sat. Toni walked to it and pulled her phone from her pocket to select a song, a beautiful melody I’d never heard before. 

The wall behind the canopy was covered in little polaroids, all of which were pictures of all different things. Some of which are of people, some of festivals, maybe of a pride parade, some of them. Some are of the Hollywood sign at sunset, sun of people dancing against each other happily in some dimly lit club. They were taped on the walls in shapes of two giant hearts along the wall. On the wall across from the door, there was a tapestry that had some pale blue lights hanging in front of them, the white and blue color on the blanket contributing to the theme of the room. 

“Did you do this?” I asked in awe, and she shrugged before sitting in a white wicker chair in the corner opposite the lamp, the cushion upon it matching the pillows, and the lights, and the tapestry, and the lamp, and the rug that laid over the hardwood floor. 

“Veronica and I were in the same community before she made her first big break in Souls of the Forbidden, and she thanked me by letting me stay here when she came for her retreats. I stayed here for like five summers in a row, until I turned twenty three.” 

“You have a really good eye.” I commended, looking around at all the beautiful pictures and toying with the lights that wrapped around the ropes of the canopy bed. “Even ten years ago.”

“All I really had when I was growing up was art, and the things I was good at, so I escaped all the bad shit from the world by drawing, or playing some instrument, or by building something out of nothing.” She explained, “I don’t like disorder, so I decided to make something out of this big empty room. There was an old trampoline out back, some old christmas lights in the crawl space, and that tapestry was my mom’s, so I had to put it up.” I felt something inside of me sting at the idea of Toni being so insecure that she could only rely on her own abilities. I walked up closer and kneeled between her knees, holding her hands, ready to listen to her talk for hours. 

“I wish that hadn’t happened to you, Toni.” I whispered, pressing my lips to her palm softly. She moved her palm to my jaw, then leaned down to press her lips against mine. Her hand pulled up on my chin, easing me back up to my feet, where she met me, her arms wrapping around my waist as we moved together to the sound of the music that played through the speakers of the modern record player. She kissed my jaw before taking my hands in hers, swaying to the fast pace song. “I wanna have fun, be happy during this retreat.” she grinned before softly singing the cute, happy lyrics to the song that cucuned us in this comfortable room together. 

“You're the one that gives your all, you're the one I can always call, when I need you, you make everything stop! Finally, you put my love on top!” She laughed and sang terribly, making me smile, the brightest of smiles as can be, as I watched her be silly and goofy. She spun me around, and dipped me playfully, something that elicited a laugh from my throat on the way up. “Baby! You’re the one that I looooove! Baby, you’re the one that I NEED!” I found myself genuinely happy, something I didn’t often feel. 

“You’re so bad at this.” I giggled, and she stopped, smiling through her breathlessness. 

“It stopped your sadness though, so it was worth the humiliation.” She said simply, leaning forward quickly and pressing a chaste kiss to my nose. “You have a beautiful smile, Cheryl. You should use it more often.” She winked, changing the pace of our movements to something slower as some other Beyonce song played through the speakers. 

“Yeah, well, there isn’t really much to smile about right now.” I muttered, and she rose a brow. 

“Why is that? You’re the most successful person in the country, your name is everywhere. You get to do what you love.” She tried to reason, but I shrugged. 

“I guess I just wish it wasn’t so lonely all the time.” I shrugged. “I mean, I was thirteen when I decided I was gonna do all this, and I figured I’d have settled with a husband and had four little babies by now.” 

“So, what?” Laughed Toni, “You expected to have the time to run a business, have five kids, and stay sane through all that?” I rose a brow at her words. 

“I said four kids.” I corrected, and she shrugged. 

“You also said ‘husband’ so I’m rounding up to five.” She winked, causing me to smile as I shook my head at the joke. 

“I guess not, realistically, but I mean, maybe being a little closer to motherhood than I am now sounds nice. I mean, I hoped to at least be in a serious relationship, and here I am…” I hesitated, gesturing to her, as if looking for the right words. 

“What? On a romantic get away with your fuck buddy on a work trip?” She winked again, playfully, and I shrugged. 

“Or having a fuck buddy at all, at my age.” I rolled my eyes at myself, the word something I had deemed classless. 

“I feel like twenty seven is the best age for that. It’s like that age in the movies where the main character falls in love, with like, a best friend who was always there, or like fuckbuddy themselves.” She grinned, causing me to roll my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that! Besides, the sex, is great.” She hummed, toying with my bottom lip beneath her thumb. “Right?” Her tone grew low, and I hummed, closing my eyes as she toyed with my hair. Her hands wrapped around my waist, dropping down to squeeze my backside, massaging it between her fingers through the fabric of my yoga pants. “Huh? How does it make you feel?” She whispered against my lips. 

“Mm, so good, Toni.” I whimpered, and the girl smirked against me before hoisting me against her, moving us across the room to the chair in the corner as a song flooded the speakers. 

“I can taste it on your mouth, and I can't leave it, you're a freak like me. Can't you see?” Toni was swaying her hips in time to the beat of the music, hands on my knees as she eyed me up and down, a playful, sexy grin on her face as she sand the song, surprisingly well compared to the way she sang the Beyonce song. She slid her leather jacket from her shoulders, dropping it to the floor, moving her fingers to undo the button on her jeans, revealing a bright blue lace that contrasted against the warm brown hue of her skin. She unzipped them and swayed her hips, “Wcan work this something out, and I'm believing, you get off on me.” she bit her lip and straddled my legs, grinding her pelvis against mine, fingers unbuttoning the dreaded fabric of her plaid top, revealing a bra of the same color as the underwear. She trickled her fingers over her toned abdomen with her left hand, her right reaching behind her to unhook her bra, which was done with just a second’s time, before she pulled her hand away, retracting it with the blue fabric in her hand, removing the bra with a wildly mischievous glint in her eyes. My mouth watered as my eyes drowned in the sight of her beautifully soft, brown nipples, which begged me to touch them.

“I just wanna watch you when you take it off, take off all your makeup, baby take it off.” I bit my own lip up at her, my throat dry, despite the way my mouth watered. 

She moved off of me before tucking her thumbs between her jeans and her pelvic bone, slowly pushing the pants off her hips, allowing her thighs to lay loose. She stepped out of them, toying with the hem of her underwear before tucking her thumbs back between her underwear and her hips, she turned around and bent down as she took them off, picking them up of the floor and doing a little dance with them in front of her. She giggled before flinging them across the room aimlessly, spreading her legs to sit upon my clothed body, which was burning with desire. 

“Can I strip you down too, boss?” She asked tantalizingly, and I swallowed the lump in my throat before nodding. 

“Do whatever you please.” I said, regaining my composure. She smirked at me deviously before slipping her fingers under my top, toying with the skin of my abdomen as she used the leverage of the fabric on her hands under it, to pull it over my head. 

“I realized,” Toni whispered, seemingly having fun with the situation, “we’ve never talked about what we like with each other,” She stroked the skin of my jaw with her thumb, kissing my lips once before pulling away. “Which I feel is important, since we’re making this a regular thing.” she hissed at me, shaking her backside on me as she toyed with her left nipple in her left hand. “I just want you to know,” she moaned before moving her right hand from my jaw, down, slowly and softly, gently wrapping it around my neck. “I like it really,” she moved her left hand down her stomach and dipped her fingers into her hot folds, “really,” gathering her slick, hot wetness on them before quickly raising those digits to my lips, waiting for me to part them. Just before I moved to part my lips, I felt her fingers clench around my neck in the hottest way. “Really kinky.” I moaned, and she used the moment to hook her fingers in the side of my mouth, where my lips met. I sucked on them eagerly, my eyes rolling to the back of my head at her taste. “Hmm, Good girl.” She chuckled, and I opened my eyes when she retracted her hand to delve back into her folds. She pulled it up, and I opened my mouth for more, only for her to turn them on herself, her own eyes rolling back as she sucked her own arousal from her fingers. 

“Good God.” I muttered breathlessly, and she giggled before taking my hair and pulling me close to her stomach. I could see it, how wet she was, and I could smell her arousal. It was right there, I could feel how hot she was, I could almost taste her from where I was. 

“Do you want me?” She asked, sticking her tongue out teasingly, and I could only not. “Show me how badly.” She demanded, “Fuck me, Cheryl. Show me how bad you want me.” It was immediate for me. I had to make her come so she would do the same for me. It was something I wanted, obviously, and I never miss out on what I want. I grunted and shoved Toni off of me, taking her arms and replacing myself with her, so she was seated in the chair again. I pushed her legs up and shoved my head between her legs, immediately delving into her hot cavern, flicking my tongue up and down, from her clit, down to her entrance, which I tongued playfully. Her knees bent at my shoulders, feel pulling me closer by pushing on my back, hands locked in my hair, guiding me up and down. I brought my thumb up and rolled her clit beneath it only for her to pull my head up so we met eyes. 

“I like it rough.” She exhaled, and something snapped in me. Maybe it was two days of pent up sexual frustration, maybe it was that I was secretly really into being dominant. Maybe it was just that I wanted to see Toni come again. Either way, it snapped, and I found my wrist snapping to her hair with a quickness I couldn’t even comprehend until I blinked and opened my eyes to a fistful of her pink locks stuck in my grip.I kissed her hard, sucking her lips in mine as I tried to ring in my own thoughts, which had been clouded by this woman, and this song, and this room, and my body, how it felt. 

I leaned down to kiss her neck, only for my eagerness to make me sink my teeth into her skin, her squeak of pleasure an indication that my instincts are working well. Leaned my forearm against the back of the chair at her sides, left hand attached to her hair, right still working on her clit. I sucked on the skin of her neck, moving enough to bite and suck somewhere else, something that made her squirm beneath my touch. I kissed her throat and sunk my teeth there, then down aways, trailing myself between her breasts, down her abdomen, until finally making it back between her thighs, where I replaced my thumb with my tongue, toying with her until her thighs began shaking around my head. She tugged on her own nipples, biting her bottom lip as she moaned and rolled her hips against my face. I looked up at her, my marks on her body a sense of accomplishment on my part. We locked eyes as I flicked my tongue in time to the quaking of her thick thighs. 

I tasted her come as she convulsed in orgasmic bliss, humming and moaning as I rode out her high for her, lapping up her juices with an eagerness that my ego is too big for me to admit to. I felt her body calm down, and slowed my pace accordingly, until her body was completely slack against the chair. I pulled away and she dragged me up by the hair to lock lips with mine. She hummed as she tasted herself, melting against me before standing slowly, legs far apart, so not to disturb her sensitive sex. She continued battling my tongue until she started moving around my body, her lips landing on my shoulder as she kissed me from behind. She slowly tugged my pants and underwear down in one motion leaving me fully nude from the bottom. She unclasped my bra and allowed it to fall away before sinking her teeth into the skin of my shoulder, her fingers coming around my body to tweak my nipples to full erection. 

She reached up and took a grip on my neck again, causing me to moan, despite my slightly restricted airways. She shoved her bare knee between mine to spread my legs apart, then pulled on my neck to bend me over the chair. She quickly landed a hard, rough smack upon my backside, causing me to jerk forward with a whimper. 

“Tell me if you don’t like it.” She demanded, her tone still somehow soft and assuring, despite the fact that she was still unmoving in the dominant role she played. She slid her fingers between my folds from behind, the air hitting my sex as I bent down. She clawed the cheeks of my backside, making my body explode with pleasure. I payed attention as she slid her fingers in and out of my silken folds, making me shake and beg under her fingertips. She hummed and kissed me, right in the middle of my spine, rubbing my backside softly, only to contradict it with a heavy smack. I jerked forward with a grunt, in time for her fingers to dip into my sex, filling me up in a way that made me gasp. I grasped at the cushions of the chair, resting my cheek against the bottom cushion. I felt her sink her teeth into my rear end, only one motion before leaning up and biting my shoulder blade. Her fingers sank inside of me, pumping in an out of me in time with the rhythm of my pulsating hips. I inhaled harshly against my restricting airways, my lightheadedness contributing to the pleasant tightening of my stomach. Her pace sped up, until my hips were jokingly back against her with each thrust at their own accord. I felt my lightheadedness increase, just in time for my stomach to tighten completely, my body collapsing onto the floor, chest and stomach heaving as she let me down from my high. 

Toni slide in front of me, leaning with her back against the chair before pulling me against her. She ran her fingers over my neck as I laid my head on her bare thighs. She stroked my throat with her thumb softly, kissing my cheek as she ran her fingers through my hair, massaging my head with the hand of hers that wasn't focused on the rehabilitation of my neck, which would very likely bruise. 

“You get me.” Toni muttered after a few minutes of silence, and I looked up at her, beyond her warm, brown skin, which was coated in purple little marks from my teeth and tongue, at the smile on her face as she looked down at me with an expression I couldn't place. “I mean, it's nice to have someone who understands, you know? What it's like to come up from bad shit. Only with you,” She kissed her teeth, rounding her hand around my head to push some of the hair out of my eye, “nobody would ever know. You seem so well put together,” something in her eyes shifted, and she leaned down to kiss me deeply, her hand caressing my jaw with a softness that made my eyes close. “You deserve so much more than loneliness, Cheryl.” she whispered, and it struck something in my chest. “You're so beautiful that it hurts to look at you sometimes.” I opened my eyes and caught her smiling at me. 

“You scare me sometimes.” I admitted, and she just rose a brow at me in question. “I mean, you're this rough and tough gang banger who wears leather, and drives a motorcycle, and sometimes I wonder if you could kill someone. But around me, around the office, you're this sweet, kind, go-getting sweetheart with a smile that dazzles me. Sometimes I can't help but think that the switch could flip on me, and you'd hurt me.” 

“Trust me,” she grinned, “if I was gonna hurt you, I would have a long time ago.” She winked at me, “I appreciate you,” she assured, pulling me against her by my waist. “You're kinda like my sense of sanity when everything else is insane.” She blinked in thought for a second before shaking her head. “Actually, you and I are crazy. We grew up in chaos, and sometimes we need some to keep us that way. We're chaotic, and we need some more chaos when it gets too calm.” 

“That sounds like a disaster.” I chuckled, rolling over so that my body faced hers. “I always just figured I'd always be broken.” She smiled at me and shook my heas before running her fingers through my hair again. 

“Everything can be fixed. You just need the right person with the right skills to put you back together again. Nothing is ever really broken.” She assured. 

“Then what does that make me?” I inquired, and without missing a beat, she shrugged with certainty. 

“A Fixer Upper.”


	5. Five

"I have sand in my butt crack." I complained in a loud whisper from behind a lifeguard tower, and Toni hushed me from where she stood, camera pointed at the parking lot where Josie and Veronica walked from, hand in hand as they made their way toward the water, Veronica wearing a white bikini, a flowing swim shawl of the same color. Fitting, considering her girlfriend's intentions to see her in white again soon. Her hair flowed with the ocean breeze, Josie's eyes stuck on her in a way that made my heart clench in happiness. I needed someone to love me like that.

Josie held her hand and talked to her with the biggest grin I'd ever seen. It was so obvious that Josie was so incredibly crazy for this girl that she was ready to commit. Josie stopped them at the point that the water met the sand and turned to her, holding her hands together as they looked into each other's eyes. Josie said something that made Veronica laugh as the water kissed the tops of their feet, the strings on the neck of Josie's teal blue bikini flowing in time with her girlfriend's hair. The way they were standing provided Toni with a good angle of Veronica's face as she snapped away on her camera. I started taking a video on my phone so I could refer back to it while I wrote the piece in the magazine.

Josie shook her fingers out behind her in nervousness before reaching into the front pockets of her jean cutoffs, letting her hands sit there while she talked inaudibly. Veronica's smile fell to a neutral expression before her brow rose as Josie's legs moved so she was going to kneel in the water. She kept speaking as she pulled the ring out of her pocket and held it up to the girl, whose eyes were leaking with excitement, hands clenched over her mouth in surprise. Josie said something else, and the raven haired woman nodded, to which Josie slid the ring upon her finger and stood up, jumping to tackle her fiance into a hug, lips finding those of the Actress immediately. She rocked back and forth for a moment, enough time to make me tear up a little, until the taller girl poked the sides of the shorter, causing her to squirm around from side to side before turning around to run away from her fiance.

Toni smiled from behind her camera as she took photos of Veronica running from Josie, laughing and screaming before the taller of the two grabbed her shawl, pulling her backwards until she fell into the water. Josie cackled before getting back onto her knees to tickle the sides of her half-submerged bride-to-be as she splashed around in the shallow water.

Deciding I got enough footage, I stopped filming and sent copies to both Josie and Veronica before locking my phone and sliding it into the beach bag I brought and walking toward them.

"Where are you going?" Toni yelled, and I turned around to face her, grinning and shrugging before approaching the two women to help them up.

"Congratulations!" I exclaimed, opening my arms for a hug, which she reciprocated, and she looked at me with wide eyes.

"You knew?" She demanded scandalously, and I shrugged.

"I was the one taking the video!" I informed before Toni spoke up behind me.

"The only reason we all took this trip is because of you, nerd." She informed, wrapping her arm around Veronica's waist, spinning slowly and marching in a circle as they laughed together.

"You guys are so great," sighed Veronica, wrapping her arm up around Josie's shoulders and kissing her cheek. "Now carry me!" She demanded, picking her feet up, forcing her fiance and her best friend to hold her up, walking further into the water until Veronica squealed when they dropped her in a deeper part of the water.

This was nice.

More than nice, actually.

I loved this, the way they loved each other and felt so comfortable around them. I wished this wasn't just a work thing, but it was, and after this weekend, I'd be back to being alone, aside from Toni's visits. All I'd have is Jason and his family, and Alice's family. It sounds like a lot, but not when they're all busy with their own lives, being loved and understood while I lay in bed either alone or with a woman whose only interest is in getting in my pants.

Deciding that September evenings are too cold for the beach, the four of us left to the lodge again, Josie and Veronica deciding to celebrate by going out to dinner on the boardwalk. It was some Dive bar that Veronica took Josie to on their first date called Gordon's, the owner of which had reserved the entire place, per Josie's request.

Toni and I spent our dinner across from each other, eating whatever laid around the kitchen as we spoke casually, as though we had never seen each other naked and had no interest in each other besides friendship.

With her, the only girl who wouldn't want to at least sleep with her has got to be either straight or brain damaged.

Who am I kidding?

There's no difference.

"Excited to get back to LA?" Toni asked from around her peanut butter sandwich, and I shrugged.

"I'm definitely excited to get writing, that's for sure. But it's nice to be far away from the chaos of work." I admitted, and she sighed.

"Yeah, speaking of work, Josie seemed to be under the impression that I'm one of Bombshell's photographers?" Toni rose a brow in confusion, and I simply sighed.

"The only way to get such a big story like this would require me to give Josie what she wants, and what she wants is your expertise." I justified, "I can give you a bonus for this, and the time you took off at your business."

"No need," she chuckled, "I live in the Sweetwater district, I get paid excellently, and I'm a minimalist. I'm very well off." She waved off, and I rose a brow.

"Why do you work if you don't need to?"

"It's fun," Toni shrugged, "I don't have much of a family besides Fangs, Lu and Sweets, who work too, so it's not like I have anything better to do. Traveling only seems fun with family, and I get depressed when I stay home for too long. Why not keep busy and get a reward for it?" She grinned, "Every month, I donate like half of my checks to a Queer homeless shelter, just to acknowledge where I came from."

"You're such a good person." I whispered in awe, and she laughed, waving me off.

"What goes around comes around, and I hope the kids in that shelter will see that." She tapped her finger against the empty milk glass on the table for a second before standing from the little round table to clear her plate and rinse out her cup.

"Did you always wanna be a contractor?" I inquired, and she shrugged.

"I wanted to be a photographer. I wanted everyone to see my work and find joy. Unfortunately, not everyone gets what they want, but I'm okay with not getting what I want if it means someone else gets what they want." I felt pity for her, as it could very well have been possible that I only got what I wanted because she didn't. "I started off fixing up old holes at the Youth center, until eventually, they hired me as a maintenance woman, and it just stuck. I mean, I was good at it," she shrugged, "and I don't hate it, so why stop now?" She finished her last bite of chocolate pudding before getting up to wash her bowl and spoon. She sat back down and looked me in the eyes.

"I mean, if you still want to be a photographer, why not? You have the means and the talent, what's stopping you?" I interrogated, and she chuckled.

"What if nobody wants to see my stuff? And what'll I even take pictures of?" She inquired, "It's not like there are a lot of thriving photographers in hollywood." I rolled my eyes at her pessimism before reaching across the table to grasp her hands in mine, something that I had never done before. She looked up at me again with an unreadable expression.

"That's a good thing," I assured, "it means you have a better chance at success." I grinned at her with a small wink, and she returned the smile in kind. "As for the lack of muse, I think I can help you with that."

Admittedly, I love drama and anticipation, so of course I kept my plans a secret, opting not to speak of my plans for the rest of the weekend.

Soon, we witnessed Josie and Veronica's trek through the doorway, faces attached at the lips as they stripped each other of their clothes on their way to their room. The two of us met eyes awkwardly once to door closed and a loud thump was heart, likely from one girl pushing the other against the door once it closed. We sat in silence, unsure of what to do until I heard a loud moan coming from the room they occupied.

"Wanna go back to the beach?" I suggested.

"Yes, yup, definitely." She rushed, standing up, grabbing her jacket and taking my hand to drag me out of the house before we heard something else we didn't want to hear.

Toni drove down the scenic road, thumb tapping on the steering wheel as she hummed to the lyrics on the radio, looking straight ahead at the road, only illuminated by the brightness of her Jeep's headlights. The blue lights on the dash reflected in her warm skin, glowing against her beautiful face. I couldn't help but stare at her, how beautiful she was. How unreal it was, such a beauty to exist.

She looked at me through the corner of her eye, and I watched as she made the conscious decision to reach into my lap to grasp my hand in hers. I looked at them for a moment, then back up at her face, to be met with a warm, daring smile. She was just as nervous as I was, and I honestly felt like some little seventh grader with a middle school crush. Who was I kidding? That's exactly what it was.

You know, besides all the sex, and the driving, and her working for my multi-million dollar company.

Yeah, never mind. This is nothing like a middle school crush.

Other than the absurd handholding and blushing.

Her blushing, of course, not mine.

"I'm happy we were able to see them get engaged." Toni admitted finally, and I nodded.

"I agree. It's beautiful to see that two people love each other that much. It makes me optimistic." I admitted.

"Optimistic about what?" She inquired with a tilted head and scrunched brows as we pulled into the empty beach parking lot. It was three in the morning after all, the beach was closed by now.

"Love, I guess," I shrugged, "I want to get married someday, and I know it'll be hard with my status, not knowing who's genuine and who isn't."

"I guess that makes sense." she chuckled, "I'm picky when it comes to girlfriends or boyfriends, so it would be hard for me to find one too, I guess. I'm not worried about it right now though. I'm living my best life now, and if love finds me," she said, hoisting herself to the ground , "I'll welcome it with open arms." She finished, winking before closing the door. I got out and did the same, giving her enough time to get a blanket from the back seat and walk with it toward me. She reached a hand out to me, to which I took gratefully as we walked down a small peak of sand to the water, where the moonlight kissed the face of the bold, sharp water that serenaded up as its waves crashed into awaiting rocks on the line of the shore. She took off her shoes and laid down the medium sized red blanket, tapping the fabric beside her to invite me down with her. I did the same and joined her side, where she laid her hand over mine where it lay on the blanket between us. I looked up from our hands, into her eyes for a long stare, until I found myself leaning in to kiss her.

My lips met hers, and my tongue broke entrance to her mouth with a small nudge, to which she granted eagerly. She straddled me, hands fumbling to pull down my leggings, only for me to pull my lips from hers.

"Is everything okay?" She asked in worry, and I nodded through a breathless pants.

"Yes, of course, Toni. I want to, I do, it's just..." I paused for a moment, looking down at her exposed midriff, "The sand will get everywhere." I voiced, and relief washed over her face.

"Well," she smirked, moving the knee of hers that lie between my thighs upward until she was flush against my center, "I can make you feel good without taking your clothes off." she leaned in and her nose nudged my cheek, my mouth opening in a silent moan as she licked my parted lips. "Can I make you feel good?" She inquired, and I nodded. "Two active yesses, baby. Tell me you want me." she demanded.

"Make me feel good." I moaned, and she hummed before willing me to lie down against the blanket. She rested her knee to the blanket, grinding her thigh against my wet sex, causing me to tremble. She hummed against me as I ground down upon her thigh. She reached her hands up inside of my shirt and raked her dull nails down my abdomen, making my muscles clench harshly, my walls trembling in time. She moved her right hand down to rub me through my pants, the wetness clinging my panties and my leggings, then to my own sex. She attached her lips to mine, kissing me deeply as I humped her thigh desperately, nearing an orgasm with a tightening gut. She leaned down and kissed my neck, sucking on the skin, allowing the sensation to flow downward in time for a shockwave of writhing, body trembling as I wined and hummed in pleasure. She smiled down at me, her pink hair framing her face beautifully as she gazed down at me with such care. She leaned down and planted a deep kiss to my lips, deepening it briefly before a flash of something was seen from the corner of our eyes.

She snapped her head up and looked around, seeing nothing. We both looked around, unable to see what caused the flash in the pitch black, until we heard sirens.

"LA Beach Patrol! This beach closed at midnight, please leave the premises!" Called someone through a loudspeaker, and she looked at me in a panic, pushing up off of me and helping me up before snatching the blanket off the floor, taking my hand and pulling me away. We snuck away, running through the sand to avoid the consequences of late night trespassing. We got onto the concrete and into the car in enough time before Toni peeled out of the parking lot and onto the road. She parked about a mile away, and she suddenly started laughing once her heartbeat had calmed down. She laughed once, until suddenly she was vibrating with laughter, wiping away tears. I couldn't help but laugh too, her laughter being contagious. Soon, we were cackling together, hitting each other and trying to calm ourselves down.

"We left our shoes on the beach." Toni reminded through her bursts of hilarity, and I snorted.

...

"Welcome back, Miz Blossom," Greeted Kevin from the door of my office as I walked near, and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Kevin, if I've said it once, I've said it a million times. My name is Cheryl to you. I'm your boss, but you're just as professional as I am." I smiled at him as I reached into my cup holder and gave him one of the four coffees in the cardboard. He received it with a nod.

"O-of course, Cheryl." He chuckled nervously.

"If I hear that last name from your lips again, I'm making you write sentences." I threatened as I opened the door to my office, "'My boss wishes to be called Cheryl and not by her last name, Blossom.' Now, I need you to get me the Brendon Urie samples, so that we can make an executive decision on as to which one we will publish for this month. Once those are to me, I need you to clear a desk in the photography department for Toni Topaz." I demanded as I took a seat at my desk, cups on the surface already.

"But isn't she in maintenance?" He said in confusion, and I confirmed as I started writing a note on my pad from my desk.

"Yes, but her potential lies elsewhere. She'll be doing both, but she requires the proper workspace for her craft." I insisted, and he sputtered for a moment before shaking himself from his overwhelmed stupor and turning around.

"Of course, right away, Cheryl." He hummed before racing away. I sighed happily before sitting back in my chair and sipping at the warm tea in my hand. Minutes later, a knock at my door was heard, and in walked Toni with a grin, closing the door behind her. She walked to me, placing her hand on the back of my chair as she lowered herself down to kiss me chastely before seating herself across me, dropping her satchel on the floor.

"Good morning, Princess." she smirked, and I rolled my eyes at her forwardness.

"Good morning, maggot." I teased, "Coffee," I offered, reaching another cup out for her, and she received it gratefully.

"Thanks. Who's the other one for?" She asked curiously.

"Josie will be working with us for the next month on her vision for this issue, and it just so happens that you will be handling all of her photos for this. Consider it to be your first published work as a Bombshell photographer." I winked, and her jaw fell slack.

"That was what you meant?" She asked, and I grinned with a nod.

"Kevin is clearing a desk for you as we speak." I assured, and she exhaled in disbelief before springing to her feet and hugging me, pulling me up so she could rock around with me in her embrace. I laughed in her arms before she kissed me deeply.

"Cheryl, this is amazing! I don't know what to say!" She laughed, and I smirked.

"Just tell me you can fix leaks and squeaky doors when we need it." I tried, and she ran her hands over her face in excitement.

"Done!" she agreed, and I nodded in return.

"Then yeah, you're being promoted faster than any other Bombshell employee ever." I laughed, "Geraldene has been working in custodial services for three years, and here you are." I examined, and she sighed happily before plopping into the chair.

"This is actually perfect," Toni offered as she picked up her back and pulled out her camera, as well as her phone. She opened her phone and showed me shots from the day of Josie and Veronica's engagement, which looked beautiful.

"How did you manage to get such a beautiful picture so far away?" I asked, starstruck, and she smiled.

"Extended lense with an added zoom feature." She beamed. There was a lense flare between the two, leaving a silhouette of their faces, lips together as they embraced theatrically. I flipped through, and saw a close up of the two chasing each other in the water, the purple hues mingling in with the soft, orange glow of the California sun.

One I noticed, however, was not of Josie or Veronica, but of me. I was looking at the road through the windshield from the back seat of the Jeep on the way home from the beach for the first time yesterday, the purple from the sky kissing my porcelain covered nose as I looked on at God knows what.

"You're so photogenic." She smiled at me, eyes pouring into me as her lips peaked into the corners of them, making it so that her smile was in that beautiful light that poured into me. "So beautiful." She whispered, and something in me snapped. It was warm, and I felt genuinely happy again. Something I often only felt around Toni nowadays.

"Toni, I-"

"Cheryl," called a panicked Josie as she threw my door open and barged in, eyes glued to the screen of her cell phone. "Look at this." She demanded, showing me her phone, which showed a dark picture of...

"Is that us from last night?"


	6. Six

"Is that us from last night?" Gasped Toni, whose eyes were plastered on her own cell phone screen. 

"'The Romantic Bombshell on Cheryl Blossom?'" I scoffed, "What does that even mean?" I scrolled down to the article and began reading aloud; "CEO of Blossom Industries and fashion magazine, Bombshell! Mag, Cheryl Blossom, does not seem to be the all-work and no-play business woman we all thought her to be. Blossom was spotted with her mysterious dame on the South LA beach, early Sunday morning. Who is this mystery hottie, and what did she do to sweep our Bombshell off her feet? We all want to know!'" I rolled my eyes before handing Josie's phone back. This was bad, I thought as I tugged on fistfuls of my hair from the sides of my head. 

"I'm so sorry, Cheryl, I shouldn't have done tha-" 

"It's fine," I lied, holding my hand out in front of me for a moment. I clenched my jaw and inhaled deeply, closing my eyes momentarily before exhaling. "I guess I'll have to formally come out to my mom soon." I sighed, and Toni's eyes widened, tilting up in remorse. "Let's get to work." I exhaled, tucking my skirt beneath my legs before seating myself again. "Toni, go ahead and show her the pictures, would you?" I requested, and she followed suit as I excused myself and walked out. I walked to the break room and dialed the phone number of my mom, exhaling as the tone beeped, and beeped, and bee- 

"Hey, honey!" I heard my mom's happy voice through the speaker, and a part of my heavy, pounding heart settle down, just a little. It reminded me of the way she used to hold me after she adopted Jason and I. 

"Uh, hey, mom." I stuttered slightly, "I just wanted to know if we could meet up tonight and talk?" I asked, my teeth gritted in dread at the idea of having to come out to my mother. 

"Yeah! I haven't seen you in weeks. I'll invite your brothers and sisters too!" She suggested, and I shook my head at myself. 

"Uh, no, I just need to talk with you alone. And don't go on Twitter or anything, please. I need to tell you something important." I revealed, and without missing a beat, my mom responds. 

"Oh, are you talking about the whole beach girlfriend, you being gay and not telling me thing? It's fine, I've known for years. I just want to see you, maybe meet your new girlfriend!" Her voice was laced in excitement, and my eyes went widened, my expression likely one of dumbfoundment. "Tonight, six? Jason will bring Midge around, and I'll invite Polly and Chuck." 

"O-okay." I blinked, and I could hear the smile in her voice. 

"I'm excited to meet your new girlfriend, what's her name?" She asked, and I couldn't think. I uttered the first name that always sat at the front of my head. 

"Uh, Toni." I droned.

"Great!" She cheered, "I'll set a table for ten tonight. You probably have some fashion crisis though, I'll see the two of you tonight. Bring wine!" She hung up before I could say anything else, and I grinned hugely, stuck in my position for a moment, shocked. She accepted me. 

She didn't think twice.

She already knew! 

I walked back to my office, face-splitting smile ever present as I walked back in and sat at my desk, both Josie and Toni watching my every move. I plopped down in my chair and just smiled at no concrete thing, just the idea that the most important person to me accepts me with no issues at all. 

"Hey, what happened?" Josie asked after a moment, and I turned to her before exhaling. 

"My mom said she knew, and that she doesn't care!" I cheered, and both girls looked at each other in excitement. 

"Dude, that's amazing!" Josie exclaimed, standing up and embracing my from my chair. 

"I'm so happy for you!" Laughed Toni, rounding my desk and hugging me as well, leaning in to press her lips against mine, to which I pulled away in remembrance. 

"That reminds me," I said through gritted teeth, and Toni rose a brow in confusion. "She wants to meet my... girlfriend... Toni." Her hand came up and slapped her forehead in slight disdain. 

"How did that even happen?" She asked in awe, and I sighed. 

"You'll understand when you meet her tonight. I know this isn't what we agreed on, but I need you to help me on this, please." I begged, and Toni's neutral expression morphed into a big, bright smile. 

"How could I ever say no to those eyes?" She asked, caressing my chin with her thumb before using the leverage to pull me in for a kiss. I hummed against her lips before pulling away. 

"It's at six, wear something nice because you're meeting both my brothers and sisters, and all significant others that apply." I grinned up at her as she moved to seat herself again. "Okay, now, Josie, we need to talk format. Do you want it to be solely dedicated to Veronica, and your relationship? We can do other things with it, if you'd like." I offered, and she cleared her throat. 

"Actually, I have an album coming out in November, so maybe we can incorporate that, and the wedding, and what it's like being a queer woman of color." She tried, and suddenly, I hit a stroke of genius. 

"Change of plans," I grinned, "You get December's issue instead. I can bump Kelly Clarkson to November so that you can give all the insight to your album, and we can work more, one-on-one." I suggested, and Josie blinked, shaking her head in joyful disbelief. 

"We want to have the wedding in November too. We were talking about it, and we don't want to wait any longer. I love her, and she loves me, and there's no point in waiting. Maybe it can be a biographical? We can document the wedding, I mean, you'd have to be working during the reception, but I assume we could just put up some cameras, so to capture it all." She tried, and my eyes widened. 

"You want me to go to the wedding?" I asked, touched, and she waved off the seemingly foolish question. 

"You helped me so much, and as Toni's girlfriend, you're pretty much obligated," SHe teased, and I rolled my eyes. 

"I don't see a problem with that. In fact, it sounds transcendent!" I commended, and she squealed. 

"I'm so excited!" 

Me too, Josie. Me too. 

... 

"Cheryl, that must be Toni, why don't you get it?!" Shouted my mother from the kitchen, and I ran down the stairs from my old bedroom, straight to the door, where I was met with a bouquet of daisies being held in front of Toni's face. She moved her head around the flowers and grinned at me. 

"Good evening, beautiful." she winked, flashing a bright smile. I shook my head at her and reached a hand out for the flowers, to which she yanked them away. "These are for your mother." She spun around, moving the arm holding the daisies behind her back, replacing with with the other arm, revealing a single white rose in the hand of it. "This is for you." She presented, tilting her head downward ceremoniously. 

I couldn't help but smile at her before taking it. I smelled it, revelling in the way I'd always be reminded of her from this point on. I pulled her in my the sides of her leather jacket and planted my lips against hers deeply, my tongue tracing her lips. 

What can I say? She was committed to convincing my mom we were together, and commitment is sexy to me. In the midst of my lust overcoming me, Toni's hands pushed my hips away subtly and she pulled away, clearing her throat and looking over my shoulder. I turned and saw the blue eyes of my mother, staring at us with an unreadable expression. 

"Uhm, hello, you must be Alice Cooper." Toni smiled, stepping past me with a chaste kiss on my cheek before pulling the daisies from behind her back to present my mother with. "I'm Toni Topaz, and these are for you." She offered, and my mom took them, a skeptical look in her eye before smelling the flowers. She stared between the two of us for a moment before she finally cracked a smile. 

"How did you know daisies were my favorite? Did Cheryl tell you." She teased, and Toni shook her head. 

"She said to bring wine, and to dress nicely. Nothing about any flowers. It was a surprise to you both." She swore, and Alice smiled. 

"Well, you sure dressed nicely," the woman commended of Toni's black fitted slacks and silk red button up top. "Did you bring the wine?" She asked excitedly, and Toni nodded before excusing herself back out to her motorcycle, where she dug into the little compartment behind the bike. 

"So... How much of that did you see?" I asked of Alice, and she smiled. 

"The whole thing. I watched you open the door, and her call you beautiful and hand you a rose." She teased. 

"You also watched us make out, perv." I teased back, and she chuckled at me before Toni walked back up the steps with two bottles in her hands. 

"White or red?" She asked, and Alice looked to me. 

"I love her already." She winked before addressing Toni again. 

It was nice, seeing my mom get along well with someone I liked, which I never expected. Though, to be fair, I don't have friends, and everyone I tried to bring home to meet her has been a boy. 

I walked into the kitchen shortly after Toni and my mother to see the two bonding over the recipe of sauce used for Alice's spaghetti. 

Spaghetti is the only thing she can kinda cook. 

We always ate boxed foods and stuff from food banks growing up. 

Toni was pulling out a new pan after having asked my mother if she could make something as well, and began cooking something from the things that laid in the fridge and the cupboards. The two talked about small things, Toni of her status in the Serpents, Alice of her time within it before she married her asshole ex, Hal. 

I was pulled away from their conversation when I heard the front door open and ran to go see who was here. I smiled when I saw my brother guiding his very pregnant wife, Midge, past the front threshold gently. 

"Cheryl, long time no see!" Smiled Midge largely, walking toward me with her arms open for me to embrace the shorter woman. We hugged for a moment until Jason closed the door and guided her to the rocking chair in the corner of Alice's cozy living room. "How've you been?" She inquired as she lowered herself into the seat, and I shrugged, tucking my hands into the pockets of my slacks. 

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking. We're letting out a new Panic! At The Disco issue for October, and I'm ecstatic." I added nonchalantly, and she gushed quietly as my brother kissed her cheek. 

"Oh, I love them! Brendon's voice is lovely!" She laughed. 

"Yeah, but isn't it weird how everyone still calls him "them," despite the fact that he's been solo for like ten years?" Said the familiar voice of Betty, who walked down the stairs into the front room. I'd already seen her when I got to my mom's house the hour earlier, but it was always nice seeing Betty. Betty grinned up at Jason before rushing up to hug him, pulling me into the hug so we could both embrace our big brother. 

We didn't care about the discarded topic anymore, as we were too busy being happy with our siblings in the moment. 

"Hey, so who's this Tony guy mom told me about over the phone?" Asked Jason with a grin as he pulled away, and my eyes grew wide, as I forgot I had never come out to Jason. 

"Um, well, I-" 

"I would be that "Toni guy," interjected Toni from behind me, before walking beside me and taking my right hand in her left for comfort, then put her right hand out to shake it with my brother's. He scanned her for a moment before speaking up with a completely straight face. 

"You're much shorter than I imagined." He joked before cracking a smile before finally meeting Toni's hand and shaking it firmly. I felt my chest let up in relief when Toni returned the laugh for a moment. 

"Toni Topaz," She smiled kindly, and his eyes shifted between us for a moment. 

"You are SO Cheryl's type." he winked, and I blushed. 

"Am I?" She asked in amusement, and he nodded dramatically. 

"She had a HUGE crush on Josie McCoy when we were kids, the famous singer?" He laughed, and Toni met my eyes scandalously with a teasing look in her eyes. 

"That is really fascinating." She taunted, and I buried my head in my hands in embarrassment. 

"Jay," Betty whispered loudly, "she's friends with Josie." Betty revealed, and Jason's eyes widened. 

"Oh. I see, I've made things awkward..." He muttered, looking around at every woman in the room, "I'm gonna go talk to mom." He excused himself before slipping out between Betty and Toni. 

"How did you know that?" Toni asked in amusement, and she shrugged.

"I saw a picture of the two of you, plus Josie on Veronica's Instagram." She excused, and I hummed. 

"Did it look super couple-y?" I inquired, and Betty nodded. 

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "Toni was looking at you like you were the only thing on the planet, and you were just looking down at your hands, smiling. It was gross." She rolled her eyes playfully before walking into the kitchen. 

"A crush, huh?" Amused Toni, and I rolled my eyes before taking Toni's hand and pulling her upstairs. We walked through the halls until it ended with one last door--my door. I opened it, revealing a crisp, clean hardwood floor, covered partially by a red, circle rug, which was held down by the leg of the full-sized frame of my bed. My bedding matched my rug, as well as the drapes on the window. 

"This is exactly what I expected from your childhood bedroom." Toni laughed, and I sighed. 

"My predictability is a curse." I moaned playfully, and she just laughed at me before seating herself in a rolling office chair, tucked into my desk. "I drew my first design here." I divulged as she looked around at all the scraps of old fabric and papers sitting within a basket that sat upon the table. 

"You're all so perfect. You're all probably great at everything too." She commended, and I chuckled. 

"Betty is a great writer, I guess. Jason was really good at sports. I'm good at everything," I joked, and she nudged me before pulling me into her lap, where I kicked my feet up and laid my head in the crook of her neck. "Charles is a good cook. I've never seen Polly do anything for herself though." I shrugged, "I mean, she used to draw when we were kids, but that's it. She's smart, of course, but we all have genius level IQ's, so it doesn't make her special." I chuckled. "I remember looking up to her so much when we were kids. She taught me how to do my makeup, and how to look presentable in public situations. She pretty much inspired my career path. And she's the only one I felt comfortable coming out to." I commended and Toni smiled before kissing my temple. 

"I can't wait to meet her, in that case." She grinned, as though she was really trying to play the part of a good girlfriend. 

"I just wanted to thank you for doing this girlfriend thing with me." I sighed, cuddling closer against her for a moment. 

"It's the least I do, considering the fact that I basically helped out you, along with that asshole from the Blue and Gold." She laughed, and I scoffed. 

"First off, you didn't do anything wrong. And secondly, how did you know it was published by the Blue and Gold?" I asked, and she shrugged. 

"I recognized the author of the article. He's a legacy serpent, so he's pretty much untouchable by us. But his dad retired, and now he has to find out how to fund the trailer park rent, and our hang out spot, so he's doing freelance." 

"And his idea of modest means is by outing a public figure?" I asked with outrage, "I've been too afraid to open Twitter all day, Toni." 

"I know, baby," she sighed, running her fingers through my hair to calm me down. "It isn't fair, and I'll take care of it, I promise." 

I was satisfied with Toni's promise. It was odd for me, in all honesty, because I was never so easily calmed down. 

"Say that again." I mumbled against her chest, and she giggled. 

"What again?" She inquired, and I snuggled further into her. 

"You know what." I hummed, and she giggled, yet again. 

"Of course I do," She teased, reaching her hand around my body to caress my backside tenderly. "Baby?" She spoke after a moment, and I hummed I question, my eyes still closed. "What's your phone password?" She inquired, and without thinking, I spouted the numbers. 

"Eight, two, three, zero, zero." I hummed." 

"Your birthday?" She giggled, and I shrugged. 

"There's nothing else in my life digitally that matters to me." I explained into a silent space. 

"Everyone is tweeting in your favor, Cheryl." Toni hummed back to me after a moment of said silence, and I opened one eye to look at my phone, which was in her hand. "It says, 'Ok but who does this "Jones" guy think he is, outing people like that?' Even Josie tweeted, "I am appalled at the audacity some people have to do something so heinous.' Cheryl, the hashtag 'stay strong Cheryl' I trending on number two, followed by 'Jughead Jones is Over Party.'" she laughed, and I sat up, taking my phone from her to look deeper. 

"'Sis, we been knew.'" I laughed heartily at the tweet, "'At least I have a chance now!'" Read another, and Toni chuckled before kissing my cheek. 

"Not according to the media right now." she teased lowly, her lips pressed against my cheek, just below my ear. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her nose in the crook of my neck, where it met with my shoulder. 

"'Why does Cheryl Blossom's new girlfriend look like she's so in love with Cheryl? OTP Bitch!' What's an OTP?" I asked, turning to Toni abruptly. She shrugged before directing her attention back to the screen. 

"'When is she gonna come out and defend herself? She deserves to have her own voice, not something created by some asshole.'" Toni read aloud. "He's right, you know." she assured, and before I could say anything in return, the door opened slowly, the head of my older sister peeking through with a smile. 

"Polly!" I exclaimed, stumbling out of my companion's lap and into the arms of my beloved sister. We hugged for a long moment before we pulled away and she held my face in both hands. 

"God, every time I you, you get even more beautiful!" She sniffled before kissing my forehead and I sighed against her touch. "I missed you." 

"I missed you too, Polly. How's Chuck? And Kyle?" I inquired, and she smiled, her hands on her waist. 

"They're downstairs, why don't you go see for yourself?" She suggested, and I moved to push past her, but she stopped me with a hand on my forearm. "After you introduce me to the famous mystery girl of Blue and Gold Magazine!" She scolded scandalously, and I rolled my eyes before taking her hand, then the hand of Toni to get her up from the chair. 

"I'm Toni." She smiled, shaking Polly's hand, "Toni Topaz. Cheryl has told me so much about you, Polly. I'm so happy to finally meet you." She said, genuinely smiling at Polly, who returned it before opening her arms. 

"I'm a mom, I hug." She offered, and Toni shrugged before cooperating. Once the two had hugged and greeted each other, I grabbed Toni's hand and yanked her down the stairs to go greet Kyle. 

"Kyle!?" I called as i pounded down the stairs and looked around for my nephew, who was sitting beside Midge, his hand on her stomach. He was eight, and already smarter than my brother, Charlie. 

"Shh," he hushed before lying his head down to listen. "Did you know that it takes a baby penguin around to months to form before hatching?" Kyle informed to Midge, who smiled and shook her head with a smile. 

"I did not." She giggled, and he nodded before looking up, meeting my eyes with his big, blue eyes, which contrasted beautifully with his toffee colored skin and curly brown hair. 

"And all Antarctic penguins lay two eggs at once, besides the emperor penguin." He smiled proudly, the gap between his front teeth ever prevalent, meaning he was growing one in. 

"How did you get so smart?" I asked, opening my arms for the boy to jump within and embrace me. 

"Chuck brings home new books from the bookstore by his work every month." Polly revealed, "He got one on Penguins last month, and now he only wants books on Antarctic wildlife." She laughed as I set him down. "Kyle, this is Cheryl's girlfriend, Toni." Polly grinned, and he tilted his head for a moment before reaching his hand up to shake the girl's hand. 

"Gentoo penguins mate for life. Even when the penguin's mate is eaten by a predator, it will never mate again, and will often die soon after because of depression and not wanting to move around, despite how cold it is." He said simply, and Toni rose a brow in confusion. 

"Do not let a predator eat you." He elaborated, "My auntie will freeze to death under her work again." he pleaded, and something in my chest clenched, making me pull him in for a hug. 

"Do you miss me in your life?" I asked, and he nodded. I smiled and kissed his forehead. "I'll make some time for you, okay?" I promised, and he nodded, his bushy, curly hair flopping around as he did so. I smiled before standing up, allowing him to back to listening to Midge's stomach. 

"That was the most intelligent thing I've ever heard anybody say in my life." I mumbled, turning to Toni in disbelief, and she shrugged. 

"Sounds like my kinda kid." She joked. 

... 

"Finally, you're here." I grunted when Charles opened the front door and walked in to hug me. 

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he whispered, opening the door a little bit to show a tall woman with jet black hair and a leather jacket standing behind him. "I was picking someone up for Betty. Betty!" He called to the girl, who ran in, squeezing between everyone in the doorway to embrace this unknown woman. 

Betty jumped into her arms and kissed her deeply, catching me off guard. 

"Guys, this is Lucy, my girlfriend." She grinned, and I heard Toni speak up from behind me, where she had migrated to at the commotion. 

"Lulu?" She sputtered as everyone cleared the doorway and Lucy was able to walk in, hand in hand with Betty. 

"Hey," She laughed, hugging Toni tightly before pulling away. "When you said you were going to your girl's house, I didn't know you meant the same house." She laughed, and Toni laughed along. 

"What a small world, am I right?" Toni suggested, "How long have you known each other?" She inquired, and Lulu looked down to Betty for permission, and she shrugged. 

"Three years." She said nonchalantly, and Toni seemed dumbfounded. 

"Three years ago, like the girl who threw up on you when you said "I Love You" three years ago?" She teased, and Betty groaned. 

"I had some bad fish!" She defended, and Toni cackled. 

"This is great." She laughed loudly before Lucy rolled her eyes and directed her attention to me, holding a hand out to shake mine. 

"Lucille Leatherbelly," she offered, "It's so cool to meet you in person. Your work ethic is amazing!" She gushed, and Betty smiled. 

"Stop flirting with my sister, Luce," She suggested before pulling her in by the arm and walking to the kitchen. "Dinner's ready." 

... 

"So, Lucy, how did you and Betty meet?" Asked Alice as she took a bite of a piece of sausage that Toni cooked. 

"She fell in the middle of the street on the way to class one morning, and almost got hit by a car, so I pushed her out of the way." Lucy waved it off, and Betty rolled her eyes with a proud smile. 

"She left out the part where she ended up getting hit herself, and spending months in the hospital." Betty bragged, and I watched realization flash over Toni's eyes, the brown brightening and making it hard for me to fight away a smile. 

"You told me someone side swiped you on your bike!" Toni cackled, and she shrugged. 

"I can't let all the boys thinking I'm soft, they'd lose respect for me," she winked playfully. "Besides, I didn't even know if Betty was gay, so saying I did it for a girl, and then not having anything to show for it? I never would've heard the end of it." 

"I didn't know she was gay either." I laughed, and Betty shrugged over her noodles. 

"I'm not. I just love Lucy, as a person that makes me happy and loves me as much as I love her." She explained, and I grinned. 

"That's really cute." I commended, and Alice looked to me. 

"What about you two?" Alice asked, "How and when did you meet?" Toni and I looked at each other in a mild panic, and she turned to make eye contact with my mother quickly and casually. 

"Through my close friend, Josie." She said simply, and I had never felt such a relief. "I'm sure you've seen the headlines about how she just got engaged to her long time girlfriend, Veronica?" She asked, referring to the third hashtag on Twitter, "Vosie Wedding" that went viral as well. Nods resounded within the table, and she shrugged. "Well, Josie asked Cheryl to cover their outfits, while I took the photos from the proposal. We metg a few months prior in order to plan, and in that time, we got close." She took my hand under the table and squeezed it, looking at the frame of my face as I looked down at my lap. "We finally got some freedom on the proposal trip, and took the time to do stuff like roll around on the beach at three in the morning." She laughed, and there were cooes all over the table. 

"It's funny," Chuck said from across the table where he held Polly's hand above the table. "The Cooper/Blossom family obviously has a type." He teased, pointing out the fact that Midge and Lucy both had pale skin, short, black hair, blue eyes and thin lips, as well as the fact that there were obvious similarities between Toni and himself. 

"They all have good taste, if you ask me," Alice joked, causing an uproar of laughter from everyone at the table at once, aside from my nephew, who covered his ears at the loudness until it calmed down. 

Dinner went smoothly, and Toni, Chuck and Lucy all insisted on cleaning up, Toni washing dishes, Chuck on garbage and table duty, and Lucy sweeping and mopping the floor. 

Once that was done, everyone sat upon Alice's sectional, Toni and I seated closely to each other as we sat in the corner of the hideous floral sectional sofa, Lulu sitting between Toni and Betty, her long, jet black hair curtaining her face from my sight as she whispered into the ear of my little sister, making her laugh at something that was said. Beside me was Polly, then Chuck, who sat with my mom. On the other side of Betty was Charlie, who sat and talked with Kyle seated beside him, a big book of the Antarctic in his lap as he pointed out little things in his scripture. Jason sat in a kitchen chair beside Midge and held her hand.

"So," spoke Betty suddenly, "I know this was meant to be a family thing, but I wanna know what Cheryl's gonna do about the guy who outed her." She admitted, and I looked around at the nodding heads and expressions of agreement. 

"Yeah," Says Chuck, "I can represent you, but you can't actually sue for defamation if the allegations are true. You can sue for invasion of privacy, and for any revenue you lose after the came out." He offered, and my brow rose. 

"Do you think it's that bad? Do you think it'll ruin my business" I asked, looking around to the people around me. 

"No way," Toni waved off, "most of your costumers are queer men or milenials who know it's not trendy to be homophobic." Betty spoke up next. 

"Yeah, I mean, if anything, more queer people will start reading your magazine and ordering your designs." My sister smiled optimistically. 

"But an invasion of privacy is very much still on the table," Chuck offered, "your brand doesn't match up with the picture, so your brand is considered compromised because of this man's decision to out you."

I looked around for a moment, at a loss. "I mean, do you guys think it's a good idea?" 

"I mean, yeah!" Insisted Charles, "It's important to make an example out of the people who think it's okay to just give out your personal information like that." 

"Yeah, but that's what the tabloids are: an invasion of privacy by assholes with no boundaries. I can't throw a legal fit, not when there are far worse things happening in the world right now." I justified, and Polly shrugged. 

"Maybe, but it has to start somewhere, and him getting money, and references, and publicity for this isn't gonna teach people it's okay, Cher." Polly countered, and I grunted. 

"So, what? I sue him for defamation, and then what happens? I get more money I already have too much of?" I asked, and Chuck shrugged. 

"You can turn it into a PR thing and donate all the money to LGBT Shelters or The Riverdale Trans Youth Center, downtown." He suggested, and I rose a brow, questioning how he was so well rounded in the subject, and he shrugged. "My little sister's name used to be Trent." he said, before changing the subject back. "I think this is a really good idea, Cheryl." He tried, and I turned to Toni and Lucy. 

"What do you guys think?" 

"Why me?" Lucy asked, and I shrugged. 

"You're a serpent too, and you're queer, so you get both sides." I justified. 

"Well," Toni began, "I don't think that suing at all is a good example to set for queer kids everywhere, since it sends a message that being gay is bad, or that it's something to stir up controversy about." Toni offered, "However, ethically, it's wrong that he took something from you that you can't take back. You should make an example of him in another way." 

"How would that be?" Alice asked skeptically, the look in her eye shooting daggers at Toni. 

Toni just grinned, her eyes mischievous. 

... 

"I think your mom liked me, up until I suggested you not sue." Toni laughed from beside me as we walked around the block close to my house. She drove me home on her bike -a ride I never plan on taking again- since Betty picked me up from work, and we decided to walk around the block, since I had been so unnerved about the motorcycle. 

"I think that once we get this plan working, she'll like you again." I tried, and she shrugged. 

"I'm not worried. Most parents like me." She bragged. 

"Is that right?" I asked, bumping her hip with mine, and she laughed as she stumbled to the side of the sidewalk. 

"Of course. Midge invited me to her baby shower this weekend." She closed her eyes and wiped her nails on the collar of her shirt in playful cockiness.

"When did you guys even manage to talk without me in the room?" I inquired, and she laughed, placing her hands in her back pockets. 

"When you went to the bathroom. You were in there awhile." She laughed, and I rolled my eyes. 

"There was spinach, what did you expect?" I said pointedly. 

"Are you cold?" Toni asked, and I rose a brow. How did she know? I didn't even cross my arms to warm myself up. There were no signs. I shook my head with a smile anyway. 

"No," I lied, and she scoffed, taking her jacket off and putting it over my shoulders.

"I can see the goosebumps on your arm, Cheryl." She scolded, and I blushed as she reached her arm around my waist and laid her head against my shoulders as we walked up the driveway to my house. 

"Your nephew is literally smarter than Fangs and Sweetpea combined." Toni laughed, and I joined. 

"Polly used to sing to him and read to him all the time, even when she was pregnant with him. He was reading before he even got into preschool, and now he's skipped to the fifth grade, and is still at the top of the class." I bragged, "He's just following in the footsteps of our family." 

"So, what?" Toni asked, intrigued, "You were that smart at his age too?" She laughed, and I shrugged. 

"Jason and I were put with nannies and tutors all the time when our parents weren't in the mood to deal with us, so we learned a lot. When I moved in with the Coopers, Polly was showing me how to do AP Calculus equations while she did her homework. Charles is the only one of us who didn't have advanced classes, and he says he's simpler because he was the oldest, and Alice was still learning with him." I laughed as we approached the steps to my door. "Did you want to come in?" I offered as I took off her jacket and gave it to her. 

"I'd love to," Toni smiled as she put on her coat, "but I have some things to do for tomorrow." She winked before taking my hands and pulling me close. She pressed her lips to mine, feather light. She pulled away and looked up at me before closing her eyes and kissing me more firmly. I closed mine, and my hands rounded her waist beneath her jacket as she parted my lips with her tongue. 

I felt my heart pound against my ear with the vibration of a kick drumb, resonating down my spine and making me shiver against her. She caressed my jaw with her thumb as she lightened her kiss with each movement, letting the ghost of her open mouth linger against mine, warm breath making the goosebumps on my arms raise to attention again. She pressed a kiss to my jaw once, moving her hands to rub my arms softly. She pulled away, giggling as she looked me in the eyes. 

"You have goosebumps again." She whispered, and I smiled back. 

"That's from you this time." I muttered, and she shook her head in laughter before taking my face again and kissing me deeply, one last time. 

"Sweet dreams." She winked, before walking down the steps and out of my driveway. I stood there, watching as she swayed her hips with confidence, my eyes lingering on her backside for far too long. 

I turned around once she faded from sight and opened my door to walk inside. I closed the door and leaned against it, clutching my chest, so to calm my pounding heart. 

This was the first time we'd been alone together for a long period of time where it hadn't resulted in sex, and I still felt as though I was in ecstasy.

Maybe it was different with Toni. Maybe I actually had feelings for this girl. 

Maybe she was right, I wasn't broken, I was just... 

A Fixer Upper.


	7. Seven

Toni drove me to work in her Jeep this morning, since I left my car there last night. It wasn't as though I didn't have another car, or three others, even, but she insisted that it'd be easier if she just drove me.

We picked up coffee, then she parked outside of the Versaci office and waited for twenty minutes as I spoke to some corporate bottle blonde about getting two pieces for Josie's cover shoot, and one for Kelly's.

It seemed that Toni got out and walked across the street for a breakfast burrito at Maria's Cantina, considering the fact that she took a big, sloppy bite of one as I opened the door and slid in.

The best thing about being a corporate celebrity was nobody really knowing what I looked like, up until the incident yesterday. Now, everyone knew who I was. I saw flashes of photographers everywhere now, including ones peeking in through the window of Toni's vehicle as we drove slowly through traffic.

"I saw on Twitter that people are expecting action from me soon." I said simply over the music playing the background, and she pursed her lips, her thumb drumming on the back of my hand in thought.

"I think we can put the issue to rest today." She grinned, and I rose a brow.

"What do you have planned?" I asked, squinting my eyes in distrust, and she simply continued to beam as she pulled into the parking lot beside my car.

We both got out, and I finally got to take in Toni's look, from the black leggings, to the simple grey tank top, paired with a flannel tied around her waist, a leather jacket hugging her arms. A bandana was tied around her face to keep her hair out of her face, her camera hanging from a strap around her neck.

She looked like a hipster teenager who pierces ears at Claire's.

Despite her juvenile flannel-mesh aesthetic, I took her hand and walked up the stairs with her in my embrace, the eyes of my employees traveling to us as we walked casually to my office, closing the curtains and locking the door.

"That was awkward..." Toni admitted, and I just shrugged.

Yeah, but I've been in more awkward situations.

Like the time I had sex with a man.

Toni sat across from me and pulled a folder from her leather shoulder bag, setting it on the table.

The folder was red, my favorite color, and blank on the front. I opened it, and it was filled with blank pieces of lined paper.

"What is this?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"What do you want it to be?" She asked, "Sweetpea knows a press guy who's gonna set up a public conference tomorrow so that you can talk about what happened." She smiled, "You can make your case, talk about Jughead's mistake. Cheryl, you can own your sexuality and inspire people!" She laughed, and admittedly, my chest throbbed in excitement. She reached across my desk and laid her hand over mine, a soft, warm smile in her eyes as she looked deeply into mine, connecting with me in a way I don't think I had before with any other human being. "It's time you change the stereotype, and make "gay" just an adjective, not what defines you." She smiled, and I felt a tear fall from my eye, down my cheek. She reached forward and wiped it away before standing up with a worried expression as I began to sniffle. "What's wrong?" She whispered, kneeling in front of me and taking my cheeks in her hands, wiping the fleeting tears with her thumbs as they came down.

"It's just..." I sniffled, "Nobody has ever cared, or believed in me like you do right now." I laughed admittedly, feeling silly for laughing over something so trivial. It was true though. Nobody ever expressed their pride in all my accomplishments, or told me they believed in me while I was working my way up, I had to believe in myself. But now, I have this girl, the most amazing, kind, compassionate, and the sexiest woman I'd ever had the honor to kiss -to touch- to feel- believing in me, being proud of me, honoring my competence.

She stretched her body so she was close to my face, her forehead against mine for a moment as she just looked at me.

"Nobody has ever deserved you." She said in a low, meaningful tone, a soft smile on her lips before she pressed them against mine, sucking in oh, so softly, making me never want to know what it's like not to have her against me like this. She pulled away for a breath and leaned her head against mine again, breathing heavily, a face-splitting grin on her lips as she gazed up on me. "I don't deserve you either, but I'm trying." She winked, and I shook my head in a smile before grabbing the sides of her jacket, dragging her up, and onto my lap. She looped her legs under the arm rests, over my legs as she reached her hands around my neck and kissed me even more deeply. I ran my hands up her back, beneath her jacket and ran my shortly trimmed nails down her spine as she rolled against me, her tongue dancing in time with mine, the taste of almond milk melding with the vanilla from our coffee this morning.

I dropped my hand and dipped it into the front of her pants and panties, automatically feeling from her slick heat. I felt her brace her hands against my chair, and latched my lips to the meeting of her neck to her shoulder, sinking my teeth softly as I urged her clit from its den with the soft caresses of my thumb as I gathered wetness from her cavern, through her glorious heat, then up to her straining bundle of nerves.

I wanted to feel her against me, to see the way her mouth twitched and her eyes clamped shut as I drilled into her. I wanted to listen to the way her erratic breathing hitched, and slowed, then shallowed as she came with a heavy sigh, silent orgasming being something she was quickly getting really good at. Not me, however. I am not at all quiet, I never was, and I never will be. It was part of the reason I was so sexually frustrated in high school. I couldn't touch myself without being caught.

College, however, was better, because the bull dykes liked the screaming bottom femme, so I've had my fair share of fun, of course, once I was out of Alice's house.

By this point, she was riding me, her hips grinding slowly, working to get me as deep inside of her as possible while my left hand dug into the flesh of her backside, contributing to the tightening of her knuckles on the back of my leather chair. She began to bounce, causing my wrist to cramp, so I pulled my fingers out of her, licking her juices from my fingers for a moment before taking her by the waist, standing up, and flipping us around so that she was lying in my chair. I yanked her pants down her legs violently and spread her legs, hooking them over my shoulders as I got to work tonguing her clit and humming against her in my own immense arousal, her snatch tasting exactly as a snatch should; tangy, but satisfying. She was flooding, and as I licked her bundle of nerves, her juices leaked all over my chin, so I licked down, nuzzling in and out between her folds, closing my eyes in pure ecstasy. I raked my fingernails down the backs of her thighs, then up the swell of her backside, causing her thighs to tremble in time with the pace of which I flicked her nub under my soft, pink muscle. Her fingers found my hair, and gripped locks in fists as she bucked into my face and squirmed and trembled, until she finally lifted her hips off the chair, completely engulfing my face in her pelvis. I watched her abdomen tense, then untense as she let me ride her high out for her. I lapped up the mess made before as her legs' convulsing calmed significantly, then helped her back into her leggings. I took Toni's previous place and looped my legs beneath the chair's armrests. I played with the hair at the nape of her neck, kissing her lips deeply as she moaned at the taste of herself on my tongue.

I hummed against her, a smile fighting its way from my face, but at the feeling of her own smile coming about, I couldn't help but crack a grin before taking both her hands in mine and locking them against my lips, one by one. She leaned forward and licked my chin for a moment, making me remember the mess she made upon the place in particular.

Suddenly, the handle to my office wiggled, and I stood to move, but my legs caught in the arm rests, making me fall to the ground with a loud thump. I quickly stumbled to my feet and fixed my hair, smoothing out my skirt in the process before I walked over and calmly opened the door, catching the serious eye of Kevin.

"Good morning, Cheryl." He said, handing me a stack of papers. "I've got those references for the Blue and Gold story you emailed me about." He smiled slightly as I looked at them in confusion.

"Thank you, Kevin." I said with uncertainty, and he nodded.

"What would you like me to get started on this morning?" Kevin asked, placing his hands behind his back, like a small child waiting for his mom or dad to get him a toy for Christmas. He truly did deserve a raise, I swear.

"I need the last results of Brendon's photoshoot on your desk. I'll grab them when I'm ready. I also need you to welcome Valerie to her new desk as a fashion assistant for Moose. Make sure she gets anything she needs, okay?" I asked, and he nodded with a suddenly bright smile.

"Right away, Cheryl." He nodded before adding, "Do you want me to order lunch for you this afternoon?" He asked, and I weighed something in my head for a moment.

"How much do you know about the tabloid leak yesterday?" I asked, and he gave me a look of confusion before answering without another beat.

"I know that everyone is mad about how that journalist outed you, and that you plan on doing something about it." He said simply, and I hummed with a nod.

"And, if you don't mind, you're gay, right?" I inquired, and again, he didn't blink before retorting.

"I don't think the shirtless desktop pic of Channing Tatum can say other words." He said simply, and I laughed for a moment.

"How about I buy you and Toni lunch?" I asked, and his eyes went wide. "I need your help on something, and I think you're exactly who I need. We'll head to Tate's at eleven, okay?" I asked, and he nodded, a goofy smile on his face.

"Of course. And would you like me to have our social media department promote the press conference?" He asked, and for a moment, I looked back at Toni, whose feet were propped on the wood of my desk, her hands behind her head as she winked at me.

"Yes." I grinned, and I nodded.

"Excellent. I'll get to those Urie pictures." He said, then tilted his head to the side before waving to Toni in the middle of the room. He looked at me knowingly before walking away on his toes. I turned around and closed the door, glaring at her.

"How did you get into my emails?" I schooled, and she smirked.

"Bombshell eight twenty three?" Toni asked in regards to my password, and I rolled my eyes, "You should really change that, with all the hackers in the world who could find your nudes." She teased, and my brows scrunched together in confusion.

"I don't have nudes on my phone." I said as though it was obviously. "Our messages are the only ones that I'd like to keep secret, other than my bank information." Toni shrugged.

"I can't relate." She sighed, as though bored with the conversation as she stood up and sauntered away, eyes over her shoulder at me. She walked out, leaving my head swimming for a moment.

...

"Your speech is gonna be heartfelt;" Kevin advised across from Toni and I in the booth of Tate's Diner as he read through a rough draft I made earlier. "You want for the audience to see you're resilient. Show them that you were a victim, but you're better than a man who could be so cruel as to tell the whole world something only you should tell." He explained, "You want to be vulnerable here, instead of the kickass business warrior queen you usually are." He informed, "You have to be unapologetic for your sexuality, but terribly woeful that you weren't able to come out on your own terms." He closed the folder and smiled up at my simple, overwhelmed nod before reaching out and taking my hand over the table in his.

"Make it seem like you're doing him a favor, forgiving him publicly, because it'll make him look like an idiot, and a jerk." Kevin shrugged, crossing his hands on the table in front of him.

"You think it'll work?" I asked, and he scoffed.

"My dad wanted me to be a publicist before I came out to him in college, so I know a few things." He bragged.

"I never expected I'd do anything that warrants a publicist." I sighed, crossing my hands over my lap.

"You didn't." Kevin assured with a serious look in his eye, "You acted upon basic human instinct, and somebody exploited your privacy for their personal gain. Some people just have no interest in what's fair, and that's why most journalists are scum." Kevin shrugged, and TOni nodded in agreement.

"So, do you think you're ready to speak?" Toni asked, and I couldn't help but smile. Of course I was ready to give this asshole a taste of his own medicine.

...

"Good afternoon, residents of Los Angeles," I smiled, quite loving the attention of the hundreds of reporters flooding around from the streets, as we had our meeting in the Town Square. "My name is Cheryl Blossom of Blossom Industries and Bombshell Magazine," I looked closer to me, feeling my heart leap at the proud smile on Toni's lips as she gave me two thumbs up. "And I am here to address the controversy held over me when a private photo of mine was leaked to the public just seven days ago." I looked around in silence for a moment, cameras silently flashing in my face as I inhaled, anticipating the next words without having prepared a real speech.

"I was stripped of my privilege of coming out on my own terms because of this man, and admittedly, I was angry at first. My team was talking about pressing charges against Jughead Jones," I warned, "but I have come to realize that he has already undergone more backlash from this than I have, and I am here to say that I forgive him for what he has done. I am here to own my sexuality as a gay woman in the fashion industry, and I am ready to inspire young women, just like me, to love and own who they are, no matter what others think." I cleared my throat for a moment, "I am honored to call myself a lesbian, and I am proud to call the people in this community my family." I accepted, raising my hands to the sides of my body with a large smile as people cheered at me. I leaned my head back and looked to the sky for a moment before looking back to the people staring at me. "Questions?" I inquired, and in erupted a loud roar of people calling to be the one to ask a question. I pointed forward at Valerie, whose eyes shined as she smiled up at me.

"What does this mean for your company?" She asked, and I shrugged.

"Blossom Industries will remain as it is, and if I lose business, then it is well worth no longer hiding who I am." I nodded, and the chatter started back up before I pointed at a blonde woman in the audience, one I did not recognize.

"Are you aware of the fact that you have gained a tremendous following since that photo leaked?" Asked the bright eyes lady, "Your twitter account has gone up by three times your original follow amount, and your instagram is the most followed account now, passing Beyonce and selena Gomez." I rose a brow, and I smiled genuinely as I thought of the impact I had already made.

"No, I wasn't," I smiled, "I'm excited that I get the honor of being a voice for queer people everywhere."

Five more questions marked the end of my conference, and I finished it out by stepping down from the podium and taking Toni's hand in mine on the way to the car waiting for us. Paparazzi followed us, shouting questions at us, cameras flashing at us before the door closed and the windows rolled down.

"You did it!" Exclaimed Toni as she looked at me before turning over and leaping on top of me, showering me with kisses, hands entwining in my hair as our lips melded together beautifully.

"We did it," I laughed through her excited kisses, and she sighed, lying her head on my chest as we watched the cars go by together, as one.

...

It was Saturday afternoon, and Toni and I slowly walked into the backyard of my brother, who lived in a beautiful house in the Riverdale district, myself dressed in a blue and red dress, Toni in a pair of gray pants and a tank top, a box in her hands. We held hands as we walked up to Midge, whose stomach was huge to the point that it looked difficult for her to walk.

"Jesus, JJ, are you having twins?" I joked to my brother as we hugged upon my arrival.

"No, they're just a very big, healthy baby." He laughed in return, "I'm so glad the two of you could make it." He commended, taking the gift box from Toni gratefully before placing it on a table out back, where Midge was sitting, conversing with Polly and her mother.

"I'm gonna go talk with Chuck, Jason and Lulu," Toni whispered, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"So, what? The men are talking?" I giggled, and she cocked her head to the side.

"Are you saying I'm the man in this relationship?" She asked as she started walking away backward, looking at me with a wink. I smirked as I walked backward toward midge.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." I grinned, and she held her hand to her chest in mock offense before turning back around and approaching the three. I smiled at her and turned away, moving slowly up to the women.

"Someone is in looooove," Teased Midge, and I waved it off before sitting down on the bench beside Polly.

"I'm just happy, is all." I corrected, and Polly squealed.

"I'm so happy my sisters are happy!" She exclaimed, and Misses Clump spoke up.

"Your genes are all so blessed," Midge's mother laughed, making me blush.

"Please, stop!" I laughed playfully, and the conversation between all of us ran smoothly for a while, until the boys (plus Lucy and Toni) had finished cooking the burgers, hot dogs and asada, when we all came around to eat. Not soon after, Jason excused himself to go buy some ice to refill the ice chests in the backyard, since Kyle convinced some of Midge's younger cousins to dump out the ice and make an arctic sea out of the ice, water and mud. Midge's mother insisted she needed some ginger ale and asked to tag along, which he obliged.

"You don't know the gender?" Inquired one of Midge's cousins, and she shrugged with the shake of her head.

"We wanted it to be a surprise, so we decided against knowing the ge- Ahhh!" Midge called out suddenly, clutching her stomach and nearly collapsing to the floor.

"Midge?" I called as I caught her, having been the closest to her when she began to fall. I caught her, holding her up as she cried out.

"The baby's coming!" She called, holding herself, and Chuck helped me take her through the house, to Toni's Jeep, which was the most accessible vehicle around. We both climbed into the back seat as Toni jumped in the front and peeled out to go to the hospital. We instructed Polly to call Jason in our haste, and Toni took back roads to avoid LA traffic on the way. I called the hospital and asked if they could get a room and a chair ready, allowing them to oblige, considering the fact that Jason worked at the hospital as a surgeon.

Once Midge was wheeled away, we must've waited hours in complete silence, along with other close members of the family, like Chuck, Polly, Midge's brother, Dilton, my mom, Betty and Lulu. Out of the door, after several hours of excitement buzzing through the room, despite no word back from Jason, came a Doctor with a somber look on her face.

"Family of Midge Clump?" She called out, and we all stood up with excitement, not reading the look in her eyes. "I'm so sorry to inform you that..." I didn't need to hear anymore. I already knew, Midge was dead. "However, the baby did survive..." I caught up little parts of sentences, but my body faltered into a seat as I began to leak from the eyes, knowing my sister in law is dead.

Upon my initial shock, I almost missed the crashing through the door, and the flash of red hair that rode in on a gurney, a nurse pumping air into his lungs.


	8. Eight

My limbs were weak, eyes leaking for hours as Toni sat beside me, holding my hand, not speaking, not even looking at me as I awaited in anticipation for this baby's only remaining parent to be okay. My whole world was spinning so fast that I was getting dizzy from the one hundred and eighty degree turn my life was taking on its head. Toni's presence was comforting. It was exactly what I needed: presence, but not pressure. To be touched, but not to be smothered. Toni always knew how to make me feel the best as I could in any given situation. 

This though, I don't think could've been fixed. 

Not after the words that came from the ever solemn doctor, his hands folded as he fiddled with them in front of him. 

"I'm so sorry to say this," He mumbled, and before his words came out, I was already on my knees, my head spinning as I sobbed silently. Toni kneeled beside me, her hand on my back, rubbing it softly to keep me calm. 

But there was no calm at this moment. 

The only person left from my childhood, the man I grew up with. The man I never knew a day without, was dead. He was gone forever, and I'd never be able to say goodbye. He'd never be able to see his child. 

Midge's mother was dead when the ambulance got to the car crash on Hollywood Boulevard. She was killed on impact, whereas Jason's lung was punctured, killing him in surgery. 

Their son was named Mason, by my mother, for obvious reasons, and he was sent out into the waiting room with a nurse, who gave him to me, since I was the only one with hair that matched both the child, and his father. I was still crying by the time I sat in the chair with Mason in my arms, but I couldn't help but smile at the wide-eyed little creature as he looked up at me. I tucked my finger into his grasp and watched as he breathed steadily. 

"God, Mason." I shook my head through my tears, "I wish Jason were here to see those big, brown eyes, and those adorable dimples." I sniffled, before looking up at the doctor. "Who is he gonna go with?" I asked, and he shrugged. 

"That's up to all of you. He is supposed to go to a trusted family member, or whoever is willing to raise him." He provided, and I cleared my throat. 

"I want to." I said, looking around at everyone before settling my gaze on my mother. "He'd want me to take care of him." I said surely, and everyone nodded in agreement. 

"I agree." Alice offered, "You'll be a great mother." She smiled sadly, tear tracks staining her face. 

.... 

I stayed at the hospital and signed the forms, paying the bills for Midge, Jason, and their son, before signing his birth certificate. Toni stayed with me through it all, holding my hand as I signed the papers. 

She kissed my cheek, and made a joke about being the father, making me chuckle, before sitting and waiting all night for the baby to be discharged. Alice left to go get a car seat from Jason's house, as well as some formula, before driving to her house and Ubering back to the hospital. Betty and Lucy leaving shortly after seeing Mason, and Chuck and Polly taking Kyle home since he was falling asleep. 

"I can babysit while you work, if you'd like." Alice smiled, sadly, and I nodded. 

"That would be great." I smiled just as sadly, until Toni put her hand over mine to get my attention. It was 6 in the morning, so seeing the news on the television mounted to the wall wasn't unusual, besides the fact that there was a headline that haunted me. 

"Last night, Doctor Jason Blossom and his Mother-in-law were killed in a drunk driving accident. Sources tell us that Blossom was headed to the hospital to greet his wife, who died giving birth to their son, Mason Blossom." The woman, Ethel Muggs, went to high school with me. She was nice, I guess. But I hated her now, for what was to be said next. "CEO of Blossom Industries, Cheryl Blossom, who just came out as a lesbian in a press conference, is rumored to be the one parenting young Mason." My eyes widened, and I looked around, at the eyes of a brown haired man, looking up at me with a dark smile. 

"You've been here since we got here." I cried, and he grinned before putting away the Cell Phone that was in his hands. 

"Nick St. Claire, nice to meet you." He stood up and reached a hand over to shake my hand, but I didn't dare touch him. 

"Go to hell!" Shouted Toni, standing up to meet his gaze as well as possible with their height difference. He smiled deviously before adjusting his tie and walking away. 

She sat back down next to me and took my hand again. "Cheryl," she whispered, "I'm here for you, no matter what, okay?" She asked, her eyes looking into mine sincerely, and I nodded sadly. She leaned into me and opened her arms, allowing me to lean over and lie my head on her chest. She ran her fingers through my hair, periodically kissing my forehead.

It had been over twenty four hours since I had last slept, so naturally, I fell asleep against the beautiful woman who so cared for me. 

... 

Later in the evening, Toni drove Mason, Alice and I to Jason and Midge's house to grab a few things for the baby. I didn't dare look around, for fear of breaking down and crying over my dead brother again. 

I darted upstairs into the beautiful nursery to grab the white and yellow bassinet, as well as a bag filled with diapers, wipes, six outfits and three soft blankets. 

"It's okay to mourn him." Alice said from the door with a set of baby monitors in her hand, catching me off guard. 

"Yeah," I exhaled shakily, "I know, but I wanna wait until I'm home, and Mason is asleep before I cry over the death of his dad." I said, exhaling as I pushed past her, to the kitchen where I knew Midge had bottles. "Where is he, anyway?" I asked, and Alice leaned against the island calmly. 

"Toni has him." She answered, slipping the monitors in the diaper bag on the counter and I snapped my head over my shoulder. 

"We don't even know if she likes kids, mom, why would you do-" 

"She offered, Cheryl." She cut me off, stepping closer to me as my lips quivered, my cheeks tingling in pain. She opened her arms, and I stepped in them, breaking down against her the moment I felt her warmth. I sobbed quietly, my chest tightening and loosening as I let out each sob, my body sinking further into that of my mother. She cried too, and we stood there in the kitchen, crying together for a good five minutes, before I pulled away, wiping my face and grabbing the diaper bag. 

We walked out, and I was met with the back passenger side door open, Toni's leg hanging out of it. I stepped closer and noticed that she was holding the baby in her arms, smiling and talking to him. She looked up at me with a blush. 

"Sorry, he just smelled, so I changed him, and when I went to put him back in his seat, he smiled at me, and I couldn't help but play with him." She laughed nervously before putting him in his seat and locking him in. 

The sight made me smile a little. Even in such a terrible situation, Toni managed to make things so much better. She managed to amaze me even more. 

God, she was perfect. 

Who was I to think that she wouldn't love babies? 

A fool. 

After dropping Alice off at her house, Toni drove me to my house, getting out of the car and taking Mason's bassinet into the house. 

She carried it up the door as I carried Mason and the bag up after her, into an empty room nearest mine, across the hallway. She set it down, took the diaper bag, grabbed a blanket and laid it in the crib, flat, so to catch anything that wasn't permitted on the mat of the bassinet. 

"I'm gonna go make him a bottle, okay?" She asked, walking to the door, and I nodded. She simply grinned at me sadly before running down the stairs with the bottle and a can of formula in her hand.

I took this moment to look into Mason's tired eyes, and I smiled at him. He looks so much like Jason that it hurt. His same smile and dimples. He had hazel eyes though, since Midge had green eyes. I couldn't believe that this baby lost almost his entire family in one night, and I was the only real blood relative left. 

How did this happen? 

I knew I wanted kids, but not until I was in love with someone, married, steady. 

Instead, I'm sitting in the middle of one of the ten empty rooms in my big, lonely house, waiting for my booty call/closest friend/lover/fake girlfriend/employee to make a bottle for my dead brother's son. 

"Everything was going perfectly until today, Mason." I whispered, running my hands over his thick red hair. "I was finally happy, with a full family, an amazing job, and a girl I really care about, and now two of those could be in jeopardy." I sighed before pulling the boy against my chest, leaning back against the wall while he looked up at me blankly, like babies do when they're newborns. "I guess if you're safe, I'm okay." I hummed, before I heard footsteps just outside the door. 

"Here's his bottle," She grinned, handing me the warm bottle, and I poked it between his lips. I watched him drink from it as Toni reached into the bag, looking inside at the diapers, blankets and the baby monitors. She closed and locked the window before moving the crib further from it. She set down one speaker end at the foot of the cradle after turning it on, before sitting beside me, the other one in hand. 

She placed her head on my shoulders with a deep sigh beforr looking up at me. 

"You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met, you know that?" She hummed, and I exhaled heavily. 

"I don't feel so great." I let on, and she kissed my shoulder through my shirt. 

"You made a life-altering decision last night, and now, thanks to you, Mason will have an amazing home with an amazing mother." she ran her fingers through my greasy hair and looked me in the eyes deeply. "Even with all of this media attention, with Dick St. Douche, you stayed so calm, and you're managing it all by yourself, when you don't need to. Your brother, and your closest friend died twenty four hours ago, and now you're the legal parent of a beautiful little boy. You can't do all this by yourself, so I'll be here to help you with anything you need." She took the back of my head in her hand, leaning her forhead against mine to look at me more deeply. "Anything at all." She whispered, and I closed my eyed for a moment, reveling in this moment with this woman. 

I felt her move, then I felt Mason leave my arms, causing me to open my eyes. She was already placing the snoozing baby into the cradle, covering him with a green blanket and kissing his forhead. She walked toward me, taking my hand and pulling me out of the door and turning off the light. 

"Do you want me to stay tonight?" She inquired, and I didn't even have to think before nodding. "Okay," she muttered with a soft smile. "You should take a shower, it's been a long weekend." She suggested, and I nodded, breaking contact with our hands to slip into my room and grab clothes. 

I soon was in my shower, allowing the water to surround me, when all the events of this last week came flooding into my mind. 

I was outed. Toni was there, and she fixed it for me by getting that press conference together. 

My brother and my friend died. 

I agreed to raise their son. 

Toni offered to help me. She's doing all the right things, saying all the right words. 

It was as though Tonight was my gaurdian angel, sent here to make my world better. 

I could never let her go, and this became apparent when I began to sob. 

I weeped over my brother, my twin. The man who shared his entire life with me. I'm missing a part of me, but I didn't feel empty and I think that's what scared me the most about everything. 

I was initially trying to hold in all the pain, but I couldn't help it. I slid down the wall of my shower and held my knees as I sat there, naked and wet, crying over the people who made my world so full and complete. 

"Cheryl?" I heard Toni's voice worry from the door, but my heart hurt too much to speak. I kept crying, I couldn't stop now. "Cher, I'm coming in, she warned before the door opened, then the glass door to my shower. She looked me in the eyes, and hers weren't filled with pity, just sorrow, and understanding. She stepped in, still wearing her clothes, and covered me with her body, holding me against her as the water hit us. "It's okay to cry." She hushed, running her hand over my wet face, over and over in an attempt to comfort me. 

"Why? They can't," I bawled, and she shook her head. 

"And that's exactly why you should." She assured, "Do for them what they can't for themselves." She kissed my forehead, and I nodded, closing my eyes as I rested against her clothed chest. 

"Shower with me." I whispered, and I felt her chest vibrate as she laughed. 

"I already am." She teased. 

"Take off your clothes." I whispered with the roll of my eyes, and she did as I asked, standing up to remove her leather jacket, then her top, her bra, her shoes, socks, then her pants and underwear. 

She flashed me a tattoo on her opper rib cage, just below her right arm, of a snake. It was very small, small enough for me to have missed it before, but it was a part of her, so I loved it. 

She reached a hand out to me, offering to help me back up to my feet. Once I was standing, she moved so that the water was pouring between us, and I watches as the drops fell down the valley of her breasts, to her flat stomach, before disappearing to her thighs. She moved my hair from my shoulders, to one side. 

"I'd like to kiss you, if that's okay." She voiced, and I nodded wordlessly, placing my hands around her waist as she leaned in to kiss me deeply. 

It became more intense, the relationship between Toni and I, with every kiss we shared, and this moment, this intimate moment where we stand, wet, naked and vulnerable under the gaze of one another was the most intense I'd ever felt. She pulled away and just looked at me for a second.

"I've never met someone quite like you." she said simply, her fingers toying with the line of my jaw as she just scanned my face with her eyes. She smiled distractedly as she studied my visage, "You're literally all I could ever ask for." She whispered. "I'm never letting you go." She smiled, and I laughed softly. 

"You're delirious, Toni, you need to sleep." I giggled, and smiled, dropping her head at the bridge of my neck. 

"I'm serious." She assured, looking up at me before exhaling. "You're stuck with me, Cheryl." she grinned, and I sighed, locking my hands at her waist. 

"I hope so." I muttered, and she pulled away, just enough to look up at me. 

"Cheryl, I know this probably isn't a good time for this, with everything happening, but I'm falling in love with you, and I know you said you don't do feelings, so I can't just sit here and-" I cut her off with my lips. 

My heart was pounding, and my lips melded with hers under the water, not even it being thin enough to come between us in that moment. 

"I'm falling for you too." I whispered breathlessly as I leaned my forhead against hers, looking at her deeply. "I don't want to associate us with this day though." I whispered, "I'm monogamous to you, but my brother died yesterday, and I don't want to have an anniversary on the day after his death, and the birthday of his son." I sniffled, and she nodded against me, "So I'm gonna have to ask you to wait, just a little bit, okay?" I asked, and she sniffled to with a sad smile. 

"Anything for you."


	9. Nine

I opened my heavy eyes the next morning and sat up, with a slight grunt, blinking a few times before sighing, upset that the events of my brother's death, and the death of my sister in law, were just terrible nightmares.

My eyes widened when I realized I never woke up, not even once last night to check on Mason. I jumped out of bed and bounced out of my room, into Mason's.

I looked around in confusion when I saw a room, filled, looking like a normal, well-prepared nursery.

There was a wooden rocking chair with red and yellow cushions in the corner furthest from Mason's bassinet. Between the door and the rocking chair was a little wooden changing table with a yellow mat for him to lay on while being changed. In the middle of the wooden floor was a large, round rug with an animated giraffe on it. Below the newly curtained window was a white shelf with cubbies, each one designated for something. One for diapers, one for wipes, another for fresh receiving blankets, some for stuffed animals, some for teething toys and cute little shoes.

I grinned, knowing exactly who was behind this adorable little set-up.

I turned around and darted down the stairs, to the kitchen, where I expected Toni to be. I grinned brightly when I saw her standing near the kitchen sink, looking out the window just beyond it. I could see a little head of red hair peeking out from the end of her arm, telling me she was feeding him. She was rocking side to side, singing to him a song I'd heard before many times.

"Isn't he lovely? Isn't he wonderful?" She turned around while still looking at Mason, allowing me to see a big smile on her face as she looked at him. She wasn't feeding him, just looking at him, singing and smiling as he looked up at her. "His name is Maaaasooooon." She closed her eyes, head coming up as she shook it. She opened her eyes, meeting them with me for a moment. Her smile grew when she saw me, and she rocked her way up to me, reaching out her free left hand for me to take in my own left, where she spun me around slowly, pulling me further into the kitchen. She kept singing softly, prompting me to shake my hips in time for a little bit before she stopped singing. I moved behind her, not disconnecting our hands as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Our left hands went to her stomach softly, my right hand holding onto my left to rest there. I rested my chin on her shoulder and just looked on as Mason's eyes began to close.

"I saw what you did with the nursery." I hummed, turning my head to kiss her cheek, not moving my lips from her skin, just sitting there.

"I called Kevin and asked him to take over for the day so you could sleep in. I grabbed Mason and we went to the store to get some things together. I even made you some chicken, rice and beans, and put them in some containers, so that if you get hungry and don't have time to cook, you can just microwave one of the containers." She said with a sense of accomplishment, "I have three bottles in the fridge, made and ready to be heated up for when he wakes up, ready for one right away." she placed him in a little bouncing chair that sat in the middle of the island, stripping him in and covering him with a blue blanket.

She turned to me and looped her hands around my waist, kissing me deeply for a quick moment, pulling away with a smile.

"It's one in the afternoon. I was gonna wake you up at ten, but you looked so peaceful, I couldn't bare to do it." She looked down sheepishly, and I couldn't help but lean in for another kiss. "Josie and Veronica want to come visit, see the baby, talk about some stuff, it that's okay." Toni continued, and I shrugged.

"They're welcome to come over anytime." I assured, before looking down to her again. "You too, you know that, right?" She snorted at me.

"I do anyway." She reminded, having a point.

I changed into some appropriate clothes for company and walked down stairs to Toni serving me an omelet on a clean plate, topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and some spinach. A glass of orange juice sat beside it, and I hummed in appreciation before tucking into my breakfast at nearly two in the afternoon.

What could I say? I lost my twin brother, and I don't think anybody can truly understand that kind of bond. People talk about how close they are with someone, how that is because they've known each other for so long, but imagine being formed at the same time, being attached to the same being at the same time. I remember feeling my heart begin to throb shortly before they came out to tell me about his death, and I have no doubt in my mind that it was the moment he died that I felt that physical pain.

After breakfast, Toni and I tidied up a bit in the kitchen, sweeping and mopping the marble floor of both the kitchen and the front room, where there was no rug located. Soon later was when the doorbell rang, and I opened the door to the sight of my two new friends. Josie wore a sad expression, and she stepped forward to hug me immediately, kissing my forehead quietly before stepping aside for Veronica to lie her head against my chest sadly.

"We heard about what happened, and we wish the best for you and the baby. " Veronica assured as she stepped past me and allowed me to close the door.

"Where is it, anyway?" Josie asked, looking around until her eyes met with the green little bouncy chair from the counter.

"His name is Mason, Josie." Toni rolled her eyes, "He needs a diaper change anyway." she stated, unbuckling him and pulling his sleepy form against her chest.

"Oh my God, baby, he's so cute!" Gushed Veronica, opening her arms in an attempt to take him, when Toni rose a brow.

"Do YOU wanna change his diaper?" she asked, and Veronica's hands moved up at her sides in surrender.

"I'll take him when he's done smelling ross, thanks." She said, turning to Josie and I and taking our hands to drag us to the front room to take a seat. Toni excused herself up the stairs to change Mason as Josie began to speak.

"How are you feeling?" Josie asked, and it was the first time anyone had asked me that. Given, I'd been in a depression coma for the last twelve hours, not making it easy for the one adult in my life to talk to me. I don't think that was what I needed from Toni though. She was the best at physical affection and assurance, and she made me feel so much better, given these circumstances, with her ways of dropping everything to hold me, despite being fully clothed, and blowing off her whole day to help me get rest. Toni didn't need to ask how I was, she just knew I wasn't okay, and she didn't oppose to it. She just wanted me to feel better.

"Like a part of my heart is gone." I sighed, "Like I'm in over my head with Mason. I mean, I've been his guardian for three days and I haven't changed a single diaper. I've fed him once while Toni is taking care of him, all while completely remodeling a room into a nursery, all with him in the cart with her." I said this urgently, my breath growing ragged as I ran my fingers through my long, tangled locks of hair.

"Hey, if you ever need any help, I have like thirty cousins. I know a lot about babies." Josie offered with a smile, "And if Veronica really had to, she'd change a diaper." She nudged her fiance who rolled her eyes in relent.

"And, of course, your super hot, super helpful girlfriend is always here to help." Assured Veronica, and I rolled my eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend." I retorted, and Josie rose a brow.

"You guys hold hands in public, you have sex, she practically lives here, and she's helping raise your son, and you're not official?" Asked Josie with disbelief, "Girl, what are you doing?" She scolded, and I shrugged.

"I'm not good at relationships, so I don't do them." I excused and Veronica hummed.

"Yeah, but Toni told me you haven't dated since you were a teenager. How do you know you're bad at relationships if you haven't been in one since before you were even done growing?" The Latina argued, and Josie hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean, it's so damn obvious that you're both crazy for each other, so why the fuck aren't you too married yet?" Josie asked, and I shrugged.

"As of right now, my brother died three days ago. I don't want to have an anniversary so close to the death of my brother and the mother of the baby I'll be raising for the rest of my life." I admitted before grunting. "So much is happening at once!" I complained, "This would all be easier if I wasn't put on blast."

"Yeah, I heard Nick St. Claire, that reporter, was around when everything happened." Veronica said sympathetically. "I wish there was something we could do that would take the heat off of you."

It was silent for a short second before Josie lurched forward from where she sat.

"What if we could, Ronnie?" She asked, and Veronica rose a brow, to which Josie just looked at her suggestively, until she understood the silent agreement. She gasped in realization and slapped her forehead.

"Of course!" She gasped, and the two stood up together, leaving me alone on the couch. Toni had just finished walking down the stairs with Mason by the time the girls walked around the couch. Josie took the baby gently, walking to me to give him to her before taking the hands of both Veronica and Toni, dragging them up the stairs of my house. I looked at the clean, droopy eyes baby with a soft smile before standing up and rocking around softly as I wondered silently about what Josie and Veronica had in mind.

They were right, nonetheless. Toni was basically my girlfriend with all she did. I wonder why she was so good with babies, especially when this young. She truly was everything I could ever want, and that was saying a lot, considering the fact that I had always had high standards for women growing up. Toni was kind, humble, not money driven, she had a beautiful sense of humor, and a personality that didn't match that of anything I had ever seen. She had the kind of smile that my mind had only ever dreamt of seeing in my lifetime. Her embrace was warm and her skin was soft, as well as her touch. She wasn't intimidated by my status, or by the fact that I'm some power lesbian. She wasn't intrigued by my money. She just wanted to be with me. She deserved better than my sulking and whining.

That moment made me realize something.

I needed to be better to Toni. Spend time taking care of her, seeing her life. I needed to meet her friends and family, see her home, how she lives.

I needed to be a better boss. These last few weeks, I've been neglecting them, making my employees feel like they're not important, and that's not my policy as a CEO.

"Okay," sighed Josie loudly as they walked down the stairs, Toni holding a camera in her hands. Josie sat on one side of me, then Veronica took Mason from me, taking a seat on a lone chair and leaning back to smile and make noises at the baby.

"Check it out," Josie said, presenting her phone to me, showing a picture of Josie and Veronica kissing, Josie's left hand on Veronica's cheek, sporting a beautiful diamond ring, the view from my balcony showing in the background. She scrolled left and showed one of the two seated on a wicker chair from the same balcony, Josie seated behind Veronica as their left hands held each other, the ring on Veronica's hand shining against the afternoon sun. Another scroll presented a simply picture of their hands, clad in their beautiful rings.

"I'm posting them on Instagram." She decided, "Ronnie has some too."

"Wait wait," I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why would you do that?" I asked stressfully.

"To distract the media from your shitty experience, we're gonna tell everyone that we're engaged." she smiled, placing her hand over mine as Toni walked in to hand Veronica a bottle to feed Mason before seating herself against me.

"Think about it;" Toni chimed in, "It gives the audience a sense of excitement, making more people order and subscribe to Bombshell magazine in order to read the wedding issue in December. Your revenue goes up, and people aren't talking about your issue. It's genius!" Toni assured, and I sighed in relent.

"Okay," I exhaled, "go ahead and post it."

"I already did." Josie grinned.

"Me too." Veronica chimed.

"What are people saying?" Toni asked, and Josie opened her phone to look at the comments.

"It's all positive!" She said, exiting out of Instagram and taking to Twitter.

"'This just in; Verosie is engaged! The couple posted pictures on Instagram to confirm that they're tying the knot on November eighteenth!'" read Toni aloud.

"We can post to Bombshell's twitter what the magazine will showcase on Friday at the September issue launch party." I decided, and it was said.

My issue was officially out of the public eye.

For now.

...

"Cheryl, I'm so sorry about-"

"I don't need your sorrow, Kevin." I sighed as I rushed into my office Tuesday morning, opening the curtains to showcase the interior once again. "I do need, however," I spun around on my heels once my office was exposed to the rest of the room to look him in the eyes, "to thank you for being such a phenomenal fill in for me yesterday." I commended, "I saw that you completed the last seventeen pages yesterday, all without the help of an editor, which is impressive."

"Yes, well, I try hard to show my worth for this company." Kevin smiled uneasily, and I hummed, nodding with intrigue.

"Okay, well, I need you to find a replacement as my assistant." I said, and his eyes widened.

"Wait, what did I do? I'll fix it, I promise, I'll do better-" I cut him off with my hand up between us, halting his words immediately.

"You're not losing your job, Kevin, I'm promoting you to junior editor." I informed, and his jaw dropped for a moment. I felt myself smile at his excitement, and he ran his fingers through his cleanly cut hair.

"Wow, this is amazing, I-I don't know what to say..." He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck, and I grinned.

"How about, 'I'll get a list of resumes on your desk by Friday.'" I suggested, and he stuttered a moment before nodding.

"I-I'll get a list of resumes on your desk by Friday." He laughed in disbelief, "Thank you for this opportunity." He tried, and I shook my head.

"Don't thank me, I should be thanking you." I assured, "You work harder than anyone else here. You've challenged others to work harder, and I would've fallen apart without you here this past month, so I truly believe this is well deserved." I nodded modestly, "Now, you have ten minutes to celebrate and call whomever you desire, but after that, get me some resumes. I'm taking you out for drinks tonight to celebrate." I demanded, and he laughed in excitement.

"Good, right, thank you so-"

"Get out of my office before I change my mind." I interrupted, and he left without another word.

I sat down at my desk and assessed the finished product on my desk, printed in color, Brendon Urie's perfectly sculpted face and abdomen displayed over the cover.

I always had these moments; the ones where I spend some time to decompress and just look at the work I had managed to get my team to put into it. I often flipped through the pages endorsing my own clothes, as well as the partnering brands I aligned with. It was perfection every time, and I would see to it that it would ever remain that way.

"Knock knock," hummed a familiar voice from the doorway, and I couldn't help but smile at the knowledge of who it was. "Good morning, beautiful, I brought you some coffee, and a muffin." Toni said as I looked up in time to watch her walk in. She set the muffin and the drink on my desk before leaning down to kiss my lips softly. I felt her smile against my mouth, and I did so in return. "Why is Kevin so much more excited than he usually is?" she asked with the raise of a brow, pointing back at the boy who talked on the phone animatedly.

"I promoted him." I shrugged, and she rose a brow, before a smirk made its way to her face.

"Does that mean I get to be your new assistant, Miz Blossom?" She teased, her voice low a sultry as she draped herself over my desk. I looked at her in ridicule before pushing her, making her fall off of my desk, onto the floor.

"Why do I always end up on the floor?" She asked, having not gotten up yet. I giggled before picking up the muffin and picking a blueberry out of it to pop in my mouth.

"Cheryl, I-" Josie interrupted herself when she saw Toni on the floor and exchanged a weird look with the two of us individually. "Why is she always on the floor when I walk in?" She asked, and I stood up to look over the desk, noticing how Toni laid on her side, her head resting in her hand, which was propped up by her elbow resting against the floor.

"Get up, you moron." I rolled my eyes, and she grinned before getting up and slithering into one of the two chairs in front of my desk. "You were saying?" I cleared my throat as I looked back to Josie, who closed the door behind her before sitting in the chair beside Toni.

"I just wanted to ask you..." Josie looked at Toni awkwardly for a moment before adjusting in her chair. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be my maid of honor." She asked awkwardly, and my eyes widened.

"Wait, me? Why not Toni?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

"Veronica asked me yesterday." She shrugged, and Josie rolled her eyes.

"You're the only other person I trust enough to help with this. I mean, look at the work ethic it took to build this company up to where it is!" She grinned, gesturing to the space around her.

"Even though I was very clearly a second choice, I accept." I nodded with dignity, and her lips quirked up in a big, bright smile.

"Now that we have that out the way," she paused as she reached into her bag, "I want to show you something." She hummed, pulling out her phone and opening it, before looking to Toni expectantly.

It was a moment of us all staring at each other before I sighed.

"Get out, Toni." I relented, and she grunted before standing up. She glared at me before grabbing my muffin from my desk and taking a large bite, then putting it back on her way out the door. I stood up after her and locked the door, closing my curtains on the way back to my desk.

"Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, I present to you, my new, self-titled album!"


	10. Ten

"Hey, Cheryl, I- are you listening to Stevie Nicks?" Kevin asked upon running into my open door, and I hummed before turning the volume to my bluetooth speaker down by my cell phone.

"What is it you need, Kevin" I asked, and he scratched the back of his head in bashfulness.

"Well, I just wanted to give you this stack of resumes." He stammered, setting the stack of papers in his hands upon the desk across from me.

"It's only Wednesday, that was quick," I hummed, and he chuckled,

"I try to be the best at everything I do." He informed as I opened one of the folders.

"You and Toni both." I said distractedly before closing it and setting it back to where it was. "I'll get back to you before the launch party on Friday." I promised, and he smiled before leaving to answer a phone call.

The reason I'm listening to Stevie Nicks is because she was one of my brother's favorite artists, and this is helping me feel closer to him. I feel more soothed, calm at the sound her voice, which helps me reminisce on times when we sat on the roof together, listening to her through an old CD player.

She made me want to be a better significant other. A better boss. A better parent.

A better Cheryl.

Just like Toni does.

So I associate the two by playing Stevie while I work towards the goal at being better for Toni, and for Mason. For my employees, for my company.

For Stevie.

"Cheryl, your sister, Polly is in the lobby downstairs, waiting for you. She says she called, but you haven't answered the phone." Kevin assured, and I sighed. The one time Stevie has ever let me down.

I quickly ran down to the lobby, where I was met with Polly, sitting down between Mason's car seat and Kyle, who read another antarctic book.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, and Polly looked up to me, standing up and running her hands through her long hair.

"Kyle, keep an eye on Mason," She said, taking my arm and pulling me around the corner of a wall to whisper with me. "I'm so sorry, Cheryl, mom is busy arranging Jason's funeral, and consulting with whoever's left of Midge's family, and Charles is back in Vegas, and Betty is working." She was breathing heavily, speaking rapidly in anxiety, so I placed my hands on her shoulders to stop her rambling. She looked up at me, breathing deeply before trying again. "Chuck was jumped on his way to lunch this morning." She whispered, "He's in the hospital, and I need to make sure he's okay. Kyle had an early school day today, and everyone is really busy. I figured that you could find a babysitter with your connections or something, so I can go make sure my husband is okay." She said, her anxiety clearly coming back, and I sighed before nodding.

"Of course!" I said compassionately, pulling my sister in for a hug, and she sniffled slightly against my shoulder. I pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "Go tend to your husband. I'll introduce Kyle to Kevin. Today wasn't too busy of a day anyway." I assured, walking back to the boys with my sister's hand in mine, so to assure her.

"C'mon Kyle, you're gonna spend time at work with me." I smiled as I picked up the diaper bag, as well as Mason's car seat.

"I'm gonna get you from auntie Cheryl's house tonight, okay, Ky?" Polly assured, and he nodded with an understanding smile.

"I'll be good, I promise." He assured, turning to walk toward the elevator.

I said goodbye to my sister before taking my nephews to the top floor. I walked through the bull pin, eyes traveling to the boys and I, as nobody had anything better to do. The last three or four days before release were always the easiest, considering the fact that everything was finished. Everyone essentially got paid just to show up, so they always showed up in the last few days.

"Kevin," I called to the man, who immediately darted up from his seat.

"Yes, ma'am?" He asked, and I placed my hand on my nephew's back to present him to my assistant.

"This is my nephew, Kyle. He loves the arctic, and learning. If you could show him around, maybe engage him about penguins or something, that would be great." I asked, and he smiled brightly.

"Alright, totally." He kneeled to Kyle's height, holding his hand out to shake with the young boy. "I'm Kevin." He smiled, "did you know that Emperor Penguins swim as deep as two thousand feet?" He asked, and I watched as Kyle's eyes lit up in a bright smile. Kevin looked up at me, satisfied with himself. "I think we're good here, Cheryl." He assured, bringing relief to my chest.

"Have you eaten lunch, Kyle?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I had some carrots at school, so I'm not hungry yet." He informed, walking to Kevin's desk and taking a seat in Kevin's chair, folding his hands over the book in his lap as he awaited Kevin's instruction.

I decided to leave them alone and revert back to my room, where I pulled Mason out of his carseat and changed him, finishing just in time for Toni to walk into my office.

"Is everything alright? I saw Kyle in the break room with Kevin." She asked, her eyes falling on the baby in my hands.

"Chuck had an incident, so he's in the hospital. Everyone was too busy to take the boys, and since these are relaxing days, I was able to take them." I summarized, and she hummed, walking up to take Mason. She smiled and swayed her hips to the random song that was playing through my speakers now.

"I mainlined your speakers, by the way. Your music is playing in the bathroom, break room, even the fashion closets and the lobbies." She said, her voice soft as her eyes stayed trained on Mason's brown eyes. I smiled at her before picking up my phone and changing the song to something I knew she'd appreciate.

She eyed me for a moment before swaying her hips in time and singing softly, much prettier than the last time I heard her sing it.

"Baby baby," She grinned as I stood up, "I can see the stars all the way from here," She took her free hand up and pointed up in a sweeping motion in time with the music, and I grinned as I saw Mason's eyes studying Toni intently. She marched up to my softly, taking my hand in the free one of hers, spinning me under her arm happily. I grinned happily, leaning in to kiss Toni's cheek softly as we swayed and danced together.

"You're the only thing I need!" I giggled, and Mason flashed a big, toothless smile as he watched Toni and I mess around in front of him. The song ended, and I sighed happily, sitting in one of the two chairs in front of my desk, a giddy grin on my face. Toni followed, taking one of the bottles on the end of the diaper bag before pushing the seat closer to me and sitting down. She pressed her lips against mine softly, her smile forming against me for a moment.

"You're god sent." I sighed, closing my eyes softly, my forehead rested against hers.

"You deserve help, baby. I'm more than happy to give that to you." She promised, looking down to the baby as she fed him. We sat in happy silence for a moment before a knock was heard at the door of my office.

"Come in, Valerie." I smiled softly, and she ducked with her cell phone presented.

"I was just wondering if I could post this," Valerie asked, "I'm sorry I intruded, I just couldn't help but take it." I looked at the video, which was of me, dancing with Mason and Toni to the music. I didn't want any of the media to spin it on its head, making it about Jason's death. However, it was a beautiful moment, and Toni looked stunning. It made me happy. It was a moment captured when I wrapped my arms around Toni's waist, looking between her and Mason as I sang the words tenderly, not soon after taking a soft, equally as tender kiss from the lips of the girl who so abundantly made my life better.

It was obvious, the pain in my eyes, being aided by the ones that stared back at me with such a loving intent that my heart throbbed, ached for her, even when she stood right next to me.

"Caption it something heartwarming, okay?" I smiled, handing the phone back. "Go ahead and send it to Kevin so he can post it on the Bombshell instagram site."

"Right away." She nodded before leaving.

"You're okay with people seeing this side of you?" Toni asked, and I shrugged.

"I deserve to be happy. And so do you, and Mason. People should see that I'm not some broody, scary power dyke with a heart of coal." I shrugged, leaning down to take Mason's sleeping form from Toni, putting him back in his carseat with a blanket.

"You have a heart of gold." She hummed, standing up and bringing me into her embrace, where we just swayed to the song in the background.

"I know." I hummed, closing my eyes softly, and she laughed before leaning in to kiss my lips softly.

...

"Gentoo Penguins mate for life," Kyle said after finishing the bite of sandwich in his mouth, "they present their mate with a pebble as a token of love, as a way of showing them their willingness to give them the best." He finished before taking another bite.

"That doesn't sound too different from humans, does it?" Toni asked, and I hummed.

"I guess it isn't."

"Kevin thinks people learned about it from penguins. And that we learned about needing to look attractive from peacocks and ducks. But I told him that it's different with them because the males were the ones who need to look attractive. For people, the women are supposed to be pretty." He incited.

"How does that make you feel?" Kevin asked from across the table, and Kyle shrugged.

"I think people should care more about smarts, because beauty isn't what's gonna keep you from dying of diseases, mass shootings or house fires." Toni and Kevin both looked at me with amazement and i just shrugged. He gets smarter every time I see him.

"I agree." I hummed, "I wish that we didn't need looks." I tried, and he shrugged.

"It wouldn't matter if people just paid closer attention to what really mattered."

...

"Thank you so much, Cheryl." Polly stressed, hugging Kyle softly as Chuck walked in after her.

"No problem, Polly, really. Kyle honestly made our day a lot better." I smiled, looking back at Toni, who walked down the long, winding stairs with a nod.

"Yeah, I mean, who knew an eight year old could be so full of insight?" She asked with a chuckle, and Polly smiled.

"Yeah, he gets it from his dad." She grinned, looking up at her husband, whose arms were holding Kyle up as he laid his head on the man's shoulder.

Chuck looked perfectly fine, aside from the swollen lip and stitched eyebrow.

He probably tore the assailants apart, considering the size of his arms.

"He gets his compassion from his mama." He smiled softly at his son, who seemed to be off in his own world.

"I love you," she grinned up at him, and he winked before leaning down and kissing her softly. She turned around and leaned against him as she looked at us, Chuck's hand tenderly laid upon her shoulder. "We're gonna go, but if you want us to babysit on launch night, I have no problem with that, right, Chuck?" She asked up at him, and he nodded.

"Oh yeah, definitely." He assured, "We'll take him all night even, if you want to have some time to yourself." He winked, and Toni smirked at me through the corner of her eye.

I suddenly couldn't wait until launch night.


	11. Eleven

"Uh, Cher, why the hell is Mason wearing a bow tie?" Polly shouted up the stairs at me as I pinned my earrings in, allowing them to hand, framing my face beautifully. 

"I didn't want him to feel left out!" I shouted, picking up my red lipstick and applying a fresh layer. 

"He's a week old, you doof!" She laughed loudly, and I shrugged before taking the curler to one last strand of my hair, allowing it to fall in place with the rest, which rested over my left shoulder, being the only thing covering the skin there. I hooked a silver necklace around my neck, allowing the small pendant, a letter B, in honor of my brother, something only I held, unknown by everyone. 

Other than Toni, who actually bought it for me. 

I hooked my silver heels on, accentuating my bright red painted toes. I hummed as I looked at myself in the mirror, satisfied with the way I look. 

"Cheryl," Called Kyle from the other side of the door, "Toni is here." 

"Okay, I'll be right down." I assured, dropping my lipstick in my silver handbag, along with my phone and my wallet, the only things that would fit. The dress I wore had a slit up the left leg that hiked up, just six inches below my waist line. 

The only person I wanted to impress was Toni. 

I sighed, breathing in deeply before opening the door to my bedroom and trekking down my long, winding staircase. I looked toward the door, where Toni was stood, clad in a black jumpsuit with a neckline that plunged down so low, it almost touched her belly button. 

I recognized it. 

I designed it. 

The suit was tight at the ankles, where her black stilettos met at the back with the top, with the bottom of the ankle line. A black leather jacket finished off the look, freshly colored pink locks falling beautifully over the material, only just allowing my eyes to see the big hoop earrings she wore. 

Her pink glossed lips twitched as she just looked at me in excitement, speechless. I pointing my shoulder forward in elegance, curling my finger at her, silently summoning her. She stepped up the stairs and took me by my waist, her eyes taking another onceover me. 

"You look..." she exhaled, speechless, "breathtaking!" she chuckled, and I rose a brow at her once, leaning in to press my lips against hers firmly.

She hummed against me, pulling me down one step so that I was closer, her hips rolling against me as I did the same, moaning as her tongue intruded the split on my lips. 

"Hey!" Polly shouted, and I pulled away breathlessly, my eyes meeting with Polly, her eyes pointed as she covered Kyle's eyes as he faced us. "You guys have to get going." Polly laughed nervously, and I giggled, shaking my head before taking Toni's hand and pulling her down the stairs, saying my goodbyes, and leaving. 

"A limo?" I asked as the chauffeur opened the door, his tall form funny to see Toni beside.

"This is actually my best friend, Sweetpea." She laughed, "He and Fangs own a limo company." She revealed, and he tilted his hat at me silently. 

"I was told I would not get a tip if I misbehave." He said simply, and a snorted at his admittance. "Now, you two just, sit back, relax, and enjoy your night." He smiled, gesturing for me to get in. Once the two of us got in, he smiled before closing the door. He rolled up the window that divided us from him, and Toni turned to me as the limo began moving. 

"I wanted everything to be great tonight." She smiled, "I even got Fangs and Lucy to babysit my dog." She chuckled, and I rose a brow. 

"You have a dog?" I asked, unkeen on the idea of meeting another dog. 

"Not tonight." She answered with a sly wink, before turning to her side and retrieving a red bag. "But speaking of tonight, I got you something!" She grinned, handing me the bag. 

I looked at her questioningly before looking down to the bag and pulling out a long, slightly thick box, a red ribbon tied around it. I untied it, and opened the stark white box, to be met with... 

"Oh?" I blushed, looking up bashfully, and she cheesed at me. 

"I wanted to try something." She hummed, and I blinked. "I have a couple harnesses at home." She offered, "And I figured red would be a good color, and it's not too big-" 

"Don't explain yourself," I hummed, taking her cheek in my hand softly to effectively bring her rambling to a halt. "I love it." I admitted shyly before clearing my throat and straightening my posture. "In fact," I purred in her ear, "we should use it now." I whispered. 

"Oh," she chuckled, suddenly finding her own sort of composure, "no, we have to look perfect when we leave this car." She trailed her finger down my jawline, her other hand trailing up the slit of my dress, gripping my upper thigh in a way that made my panties drown. "I want to ruin you with this thing." She hummed. 

Oh, God. I know something that was already ruined. 

... 

The door to the limo TOni and I rode in opened, and in poured a stream of flashing lights and the sounds of several different voices calling over each other. 

"Miz Blossom!" Many people called as Toni climbed out, reaching a hand out for me to take, helping me out of the vehicle, allowing lingering eyes to widen at my dress. I stood up and looked to Toni, who seemed to be fighting off her nerves. I leaned close to her as Sweetpea closed the door, my hand falling to her shoulder. She inhaled deeply before meeting my eyes and smiling softly. 

"Are you ready to do this, baby?" She asked, a smile on her face, and I nodded softly. 

"To show you off to everyone at Brendon Urie's launch ball?" I grinned before nodding. "It's what I was meant to do." I winked, causing her to giggle before leaning up and kissing my lips deeply, making me forget where I was for a moment. I hummed, wiping her lip gloss from below her lip. I felt her hand travel to the small of my back before we turned toward the door, stepping foot on the red carpet. We walked down, her skin on mine a sense of reassurance that everything was going to be okay. 

We stood and took pictures together on the carpet, allowing people to see us both together, and slightly separately before walking through the doors to the venue, where lights turned on and off in different colors to match the loud, terrible music that played around the venue. 

"Have I ever told you that I hate parties?" Toni asked, and I rolled my eyes. 

"This is more like a ball. This music plays at the beginning, as a way of making everyone think we're like everyone else." I explained. "Some people just like one day a month where they can dress like royalty and act like they live in castles." 

"That's actually refreshing," Toni relented, "I can't wait to dip you." She smiled excitedly, pulling me toward the bar. 

... 

"Brendon!" I smiled brightly after turning around upon being tapped on the shoulder. 

"Cheryl, hi! Thank you so much for making such a great piece for me this month." He smiled brightly, and I waved him off. 

"It's what I do." I said modestly, and he shook his head in disbelief. "But thank you! For being so candid, about everything, your coming out journey, your marriage, everything, really." I said seriously. 

"Honestly, I wouldn't have done it without your help. Your advice really helped. And I'm happy that you were so accepted by everyone when you came out." Brendon assured, and I pulled Toni close to me, where she blushed. 

"I couldn't have done it without Toni, honestly." I promised, and he shook her hand. 

"It's amazing to finally meet you." He grinned, turning behind him to tap a brunette woman on the shoulder, causing her to turn around, green eyes flashing as she smiled. "This is my wife, Sarah, Sarah, this is Cheryl Blossom, and her girlfriend, Toni." He said cordially and Sarah grinned brightly, shaking my hand. 

"I'm a huge fan of your work," She prompted, "you're brilliant. You're a true artist." She praised, causing me to laugh. 

"She threatened to make me sleep on the couch if I didn't take her to meet you tonight, so thank you for the extra invitation." Brendon chuckled, and I nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, that means a lot." I nodded, fighting away the urge to scream in excitement. The truth is that I grew up listening to Brendon and the rest of Panic! At The Disco, so this meant a lot to me, knowing that my name was one he used around his house with his wife. 

"Well, we're gonna go get some drinks, you enjoy the rest of the night, ladies." Brendon winked, and I waved as he and his wife walked away. 

"This is amazing, Cher." Toni grinned, kissing my collarbone and looping her arm around my waist as the music slowly faded into the room. 

The entire energy in the room shifted, causing everyone look at someone nearby, and draw closer to them. I felt my heart settle as Toni's hand took mine gently, swaying her hips slowly, ever so softly. 

"I've waited a hundred years..." The music trailed as she pulled me close, her breath against my chin as she looked up at me, a soft smile on her lips, "... I'd wait a million more for you..." Her arms wrapped up around my neck, allowing me to take her hips, where I tucked my nose into the crook of her neck. 

"I know this song," Toni whispered into my ear, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of my neck. "Nothing prepared me for what the privilege of being yours would do." She sang against me, pulling me ever closer, causing my heart to wrench in my chest. "Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain..." I pulled back, and looked into her eyes deeply for a moment as the next words fell from her lips, "I surrender who I've been to who you are... Nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart." I shuddered, and couldn't help but lean in and press my lips against her, uncaring of the people around us, only settled on Toni, the woman who deserved more than anything I could ever give her. 

My hands traveled up to her cheeks as I held her close, as though letting go of her would mean I'd lose her forever. 

Losing Toni would mean losing myself surely. 

Toni pulled away, and leaned her head on my chest, arms around my waist as we swayed together, not stuck in a world separate from the hundreds of people around us. Everything about this moment felt right I was able to push aside everything for now. Work, the baby, even the death of my brother, despite the pain that still stayed there, that I'd been getting used to. 

Toni was all I had on my mind. Toni was all that mattered in this moment. Toni was the only thing that kept me here, on this planet, strong enough to do what I'm doing, with all of the pain I've undergone, all of the people who have sucked up my personal life. 

Toni was the only reason I had any humanity left inside of me. 

God knows that I would have no strength left inside of me if I didn't have this magnificent woman by my side through it all. 

In the sea of tragedy I was struggling in, Toni was a life raft, keeping me afloat, ensuring I'd get through it with every meaningful drift towards hope. She held me up, kept me from drowning in the pain that dared knock at my front door. 

Her voice was like the warm breeze, floating down from the rays of the sun, assuring me that I would be okay. She gave me a kind of hope I never even knew I'd need, a kind that would last forever. 

"You look so beautiful tonight, Cheryl." Toni assured, and I chuckled against her head. 

"I spent 2 hours on my look, so I hoped I'd look good." I dodged, and she shook her head before lifting her head up to meet my eyes. 

"No," she exhaled, shaking her head, "you always look beautiful, Cheryl. Even when I saw you, crying on the ground, I was still mesmerized by you." She reached her hand up and moved a single strand of hair from my face to look at me more deeply. "You've never looked anything less than perfect. You're it for me, Cheryl." She admitted, "You're all I want. All I could ever ask for." The way her eyebrows furrowed together at me made the brown in her eyes melt around me, telling me that there was no shortage of sincerity. There would never be a shortage of sincerity from Toni Topaz. 

I felt a tear break free from the corner of my eye, and begin its ascend downward. 

It was so hard to believe that anyone could ever learn to love me. I felt unlovable at times, and now, here was Toni, telling me that she was mastering the art of loving someone like me.

She wiped the tear away from my cheekbone, and she smiled softly. 

"You don't have to say anything, I know that everything is really hard for you right now, so I-" 

I cut her off with another deep kiss to her lips, inhaling as a way to brace for the pounding of my heart against my ribcage.

Toni was the only thing in this world right now. 

Toni was all I wanted right now. 

... 

"Thanks, Sweets." Toni muttered, climbing out of the limo and helping me out. 

"My tip?" He asked, putting a hand out, and Toni rolled her eyes before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a stack of hundreds, placing them in his hand. "Have a good night, ladies." He bowed, closing the door to his limo and rounding it to get inside. Toni looked up at me and took my hand to drag me through a the door of an apartment building. We waited in the elevator, her eyes pouring into me, as they had on the way here in the limo. When the doors opened, she pulled me through the slummy looking hallway, to the last door, which rolled open, revealing her apartment. 

It was a loft, no doors anywhere, other than the front one, and the one to the bathroom in the far right corner, across from the kitchen. 

She looked at me with a smile before stepping aside and letting me walk in, closing the door behind us. 

A black leather couch sat in the middle of the room, beside a rocking chair of the same style. Beneath it was a large area rug, the color burgundy. There was no television, which was odd, but I was informed of the reason when I looked at the walls, seeing that they weren't walls, but bookshelves, filled with books from the floor, to the high-rise ceilings, starting from where the bathroom door opens, to the corner, where it met with another set of shelves on the other wall, reaching to the ceiling there too. There was a dip in the ceiling half way through though, making it drop about seven feet, so that it was similar to a normal ceiling height. The bookshelves stopped just below that part of the ceiling, instead of books, stood picture frames, and vases, things that obviously meant a lot to her. In the corner where that wall met the one where the front door was, stood a big, black grand piano, beneath it laying a large dog bed, a blanket, pillow and some toys lying inside. '

"What breed is your dog?" I said, apprehensive, and she grinned. 

"He's a chihuahua. But he likes a lot of room to sleep, because he likes to bring all his toys to sleep with him." She said, locking the door and dropping her keys and bag onto a stool that stood in front of the breakfast bar. 

"He doesn't sleep with you?" I asked as she took my jacket and bag, and she shook her head with a grin. 

"He can't get on my bed by himself." 

I rose a brow at her, and she reached a hand out to me, pulling me towards a ladder that seemed to be on a track attached to the ceiling, designed to move around, like in old libraries. She moved it to the point in the ceiling where it dipped, and instructed me to climb, where she moved after me. My eyes scanned over the open space where a platform was. 

"Go ahead, climb on." She assured, and I stepped on it, allowing her to do the same. There was a little hammock hanging from the rafter, close to a little wood chair next to it, and I rose a brow at her. 

"Is this your bed?" I asked, thinking back at the bed in Veronica's cabin. 

"Look to your right." She grinned, and I did so, looking around a corner to see a huge space with a bed in one far corner of the space, a small table on one side, a little dresser on the other. There was a small red circle rug between the hardwood floor, and the dark cherry wood bed frame. In the corner opposite the hammock was an acoustic guitar on a stand, beside a cherry wood wardrobe. 

"Your apartment is beautiful." I said breathlessly, and she smiled, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. 

"I've never taken a girl back here before." She admitted, "I mean, Lucy, Josie and Veronica have been here, but never up here." She chuckled nervously, removing her leather jacket and setting it in the chair by the hammock, taking the red gift back from me, grabbing the box and setting it on the little dresser beside her bed. She curled her finger at me, calling her to her bed as she kicked her heels off. 

I smiled and stepped close to her, seating myself and unhooking my shoes to remove them. She opened her arms for me to allow her to hold me. I kicked my feet up onto her burgundy duvet, leaning against her, lying in her lap. She ran her fingers through my thick, red locks, allowing the curls to unravel. 

"Tonight has been amazing." Toni whispered calmly, and I hummed, my eyes closed as I reveled in the feeling of just being with her. 

"I can't wait to do it again." I added, and she chuckled. 

"Remind me not to wear heels next time." She requested. 

"Does that mean I shouldn't either? You'll be even shorter than you already are." I jested, and she hummed. 

"Yeah, but you look so sexy in heels." I heard the smirk in her voice, and I rolled over to look at her, my hips against her. 

"How about we just don't wear anything?" I hummed back, leaning in with my own smirk. 

"I like the sound of that." She rose her brows, leaning forward and kissing my lips deeply. 

I moaned against her lips and felt them quirk up. She unzipped the back of my dress and ran her hands up my thighs beneath it, her left hand having no trouble making it to my backside, where her fingers massaged the flesh. 

I moaned at her touch and allowed my dress to fall forward, causing her to move her hands up, pulling it down the rest of the way. I stood up and stepped out of my dress before pulling her to her feet.I turned her around and unzipped her suit, pulling it down so she could do the same as I did. I moved her hair over her right shoulder and kissed her left one deeply, running my tongue up to her neck, where I sunk my teeth deeply. She moaned, rolling her neck to the side so that I could reach her better. I unhooked my bra, dropping it to the ground before knocking her panties loose to allow them to fall around her ankles. She stepped out of them and leaned down to reach into her drawer, pulling out a black leather strap. She looked over her shoulder at me, and I hummed, my eyes rolling to the back of my head in excitement. 

She stepped into the straps, pulling them up and securing them before opening the box, taking out the toy and sliding it in place. The ridges on the hard silicon seemed inviting as she walked toward me, arms wrapping around my shoulders softly. 

"Is this okay?" She asked through her lashes at me, and I nodded silently. 

"I want you." I whimpered, and she smirked, tipping me over her bed until I laid on my back against her off red duvet. Her lips pressed deeply against mine, fingers toying with my hardening nipples, tongue massaging mine. I hummed against her lips as her right hand trailed down my stomach, to my center. 

She circled my clit with her thumb before her fingertips ran down my slit, to my sex. She gathered my wetness and used it to twirl my bundle of nerves between her fingers. She pulled away, and moved between my thighs, moving my knees to my sides. She took the base of the bright red toy and ran the tip along my folds, her eyes looking into mine. Her left hand reached forward and she caressed my cheek softly. She smiled deeply. 

"I don't ever want to hurt you, Cheryl." She promised, "tell me if I am, please." She whispered, and I nodded, my hands holding her sheets in anticipation. She never moved her eyes away from mine as she felt for the center of my sex. I felt myself becoming filled, slowly, and gently, her hands on my hips, gently holding them, as though I was the only thing that mattered. I hissed, closing my eyes slightly as the pain passed through me. 

I felt her hips against my backside and opened my eyes to look up at her. She was studying me, truly worried that she had hurt me. 

"Go ahead, baby." I whispered, and she nodded, rolling her hips out, very slowly as my walls adjusted. The pain soon subsided, and I began panting at the feeling of being so full. Fuller than I had ever been in my entire life. "Faster," I pleaded, reaching out and taking Toni's hips to pull her closer. Her eyes were blown as she watched me, her eyes on my making my walls convulse for a moment. After a moment, I reached down and began to toy my own clit in time with her thrusts. She moaned at me, thrusting deep inside of my hard, and I gasped in pleasure, my thighs beginning to shake in pleasure. She moved my hands around her waist again, using her right thumb to roll my nub in time with her deep, long thrusts. 

I felt my orgasm approach, and my walls contracted around the toy, the ridges against them making my hips buck to the point that I was humping Toni's hips until my stomach finally tightened, allowing me to hit my orgasm. 

I gasped and thrashed against Toni's body as she slowed her hips and her thumb to a stop, my thighs still pulsing when she pulled out and slid down to run her tongue along my folds. She lapped up my arousal until I was clean, my chest heaving as I worked to regain my strength. She stepped out of it and sat down on the blanket beside me, her hands running along my ribs in her own way of calming me. She leaned down and kissed my ribs again. 

"Sit on my face." I demanded, and she rose her head up, eyes wide in confusion. 

"What?" She asked, and I turned to look at her deeply. 

"Sit. On. My. Face." I elaborated, and she hesitated for a second, as though she was still afraid she'd hurt me. "Now." I demanded, yet again. She immediately did as I told, straddling my face. I took her backside in my hands and pulled her closer to me, where my tongue delved into her already drenching sex. Her body lurched forward and she leaned forward, bracing her hands against the bed as I tongued her folds, moaning against her in pleasure at her taste. She gasped and sat up, grinding her hips against my face while I tongued her clit, my teeth tugging on it slightly. 

"Oh, God!" She moaned loudly, pulling my hair harshly as she humped my face roughly. I trailed my tongue from her center, rimming my muscle around her entrance, stringing her thick wetness up from there, through her folds, then to her clit. 

It wasn't long before she fell into orgasmic convulsions, moaning and groaning obscenities while I helped her down from her high. She exhaled deeply her chest heaving as she crawled down my body and laid her head upon my chest, her arm draped over my waist. 

"Thank you," she exhaled, and I giggled. 

"It was my pleasure." I giggled, and she looked up, detecting the double meaning. She grinned and turned over, her face contorted in a playful smile. 

"Was it now?" She chuckled, causing me to shrug. 

"I don't know, it seemed more like your pleasure." I teased, and she gave me a playful glare, poking my side once, causing me to squirm. She laughed at me, and began to furiously tickle me. 

My laughter was something even I myself hadn't heard in a long time. It was a beautiful contrast to what I was used to. 

Then again, Toni was a beautiful contrast to what I was used to.


	12. Twelve

"Toni, can you get me a towel!?" I called from the bathroom down the hall from my son's room as I turned the water to the bathroom sink off and readied him to be dried off.

"Here ya go, baby!" She shouted, throwing the towel into the bathroom as she ran by. "Have you seen my earrings?!" She asked from what sounded like my room as I swaddled the now two and a half month old boy in his towel and moved into the hallway.

"I think you left them in the lounge upstairs!" I called, running into Mason's room to get him dressed for Josie's wedding.

We were on our way out, until Mason had an accident, and Toni remembered she had a better outfit in her own closet.

Now, I was the only one completely ready, and the wedding was in two hours, which was a problem, because Toni and I were both maids of honor, and we were required to be there for the times of getting ready for the brides.

"Baby, we have to go!" I warned, placing a simple black onesie on my son, along with a pair of dark grey pants, some white booties, and a matching white beanie. I hooked him in his car seat, covered him up with his blanket and began walking down the stairs.

I waited for Toni in her Jeep for about ten more minutes before she ran out, sporting a black pant suit with a purple vest and tie. Her hair was tied up half the way, and her shoes heels were in her hand so she could drive to the venue.

"Remember," I warned Toni over the music, "do NOT let Veronica use her phone, or any kind of internet. We don't want her hearing Josie's album before the surprise tonight."

"Of course," She smiled at me, placing her hand over my knee in a way of assuring me that I'd be okay. "You know... I've never seen someone make maroon look so good before." Toni smirked, and I rolled my eyes before bringing the visor down to look in the mirror.

My dress had a sheer trim, sewed upon the top of a satin skirt. The top half was lace with a plunging V neck line, the meeting of said V coming together in a knit rose. It had long, lace sleeves that covered the tops of my hands.

My hair was tied up just like Toni's was, since Josie and Veronica wanted all the bridesmaids to be dressed the same, up to the hairstyle. Toni and I were allowed to dress differently, considering the fact that we were maids of honor.

I designed the bride's dresses, and of course, mine.

Once we got there, I ran into the venue, where my mom was waiting with Chuck, Kyle, Polly, Betty and Lucy in the line of chairs already set up for everyone.

"He just had his bottle," I said rushingly, taking Mason out of his seat, checking his diaper once before kissing his forehead and handing him to Lucy, who grinned and immediately began making funny faces at the boy.

I ran into one of the fitting rooms, knowing where Josie was, and immediately saw to taking her dress out of the closet.

"Finally, what took you so long!?" Screeched Josie, and I rolled my eyes.

"Calm down, bridezilla." I rolled my eyes, "Mason had an accident, so I had to take care of him. I'm here now, everything is gonna be great, I promise." I smiled softly, causing Josie's smile to form before she untied her robe and dropped it.

"Let's do this." She smiled excitedly, and I held up her dress so we could get her fitted, considering the fact that her makeup was already finished.

...

"How is everything?" Toni asked, peaking her head into the door of Josie's room, causing us both to glare at her. "Hey, I'm not the other bride." Toni rose her hands up in surrender.

"Where is she anyway?" Josie asked with genuine concern, and Toni slipped in and sat in a chair in the corner of the room.

"She's totally ready now. Just waiting for the ceremony to start in ten minutes." She shrugged.

"And how do you know she's not looking at my album?" Josie snapped, and Toni reached into her suit pocket, revealing Veronica's phone.

"She's in there alone with nothing but a stack of old Bombshell magazines and my favorite book, Rage." She assured, and honestly, her diligence turned me on.

"Put her shoes on for me." I demanded as I finished the last braid in her hair, tying it around the others to make a lovely bun, which held up her flower crown and veil.

"Josie, you look beautiful." Toni whispered to her best friend once she finished the adventure of putting her friend's shoes on, her eyes floating to me subconsciously. "You both do." She smiled softly, her eyes warm as she kissed her palm and laid it against my neck, as though kissing me. "I'm so happy for you two, Jo." Toni swore, grinning brightly at her best friend.

"I wouldn't be here if it we rent for you, Tee." Josie let loose a tear, and Toni stopped it.

"No no no! Absolutely not!" Toni shouted, stepping away and yanking me out of the room with her. "We are NOT getting mushy today!" She shouted before slamming the door. "You need to hurry and be at the west end in five minutes!"

...

We awaited at our respective ends of the venue, me, leading the quartet of people behind me. Across the aisle stood Toni, beautifully covered in her silk purple tie, a bright smile in her eyes as she looked at me with a wave. I smiled, and blew a kiss from my hand, to her. She held up her hand, and closed it, as though catching it, and placed it over her chest, patting it twice. Her eyes peered into me, and my heart poured happily, just as the wedding march chimed from the piano.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, our friends giving tearful vows of love, and kissing passionately before being escorted into the dining hall, where we all are at tables assigned us.

Toni and I sat with the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen, just near the brides as they ate and laughed as a newlyweds.

"They're so in love." Toni gushed around her chicken, and I hummed.

"I'm so happy I get to be a part of this." She reached across the table and took my hand in hers. I looked her in the eyes and kissed her knuckles before taking a drink of my champaigne.

My mother left after the dinner, taking Mason with her, so to give Toni and I a break from the work we'd been doing since October's ball.

After dinner and cake, we were all dancing around, and as planned, I danced with Veronica for a whole song while Josie worked on getting ready for her surprise for her wife.

"Your attention, please!" Called Josie through the mic in the middle of the dance floor, and everyone averted their attention from each other, to the bride, who was holding an electric guitar as she sat in a chair.

"Veronica," Josie muttered, and I grabbed a chair from nearby, as well as Veronica's hand before placing the chair on front of Josie, gesturing for her to seat herself. "I love you more than anything on this planet." She muttered, kissing her wife's hand. "As you know, I released my album at midnight this morning. And I told you not to listen." She began to play with the strings of the baby blue guitar against her chest. "This is why." She plucked a progression, and Veronica looked around in shock at everyone who looked on knowingly.

"Baby girl, the only thing I've ever wanted was you." She sang, swaying back and forth in time, "and a day without you is ever blue. Because baby, it's you. You're mine, and our love, it ages like a fine wine." she smiled brightly as she watched tears fall from Veronica's eyes.

I looked over to Toni, who was snapping pictures from each angle of the couple.

"You crashed into my life like a paper airplane, gentle and in time with the wind. And you captured my heart when you uttered my name, taking my breath from within. And you gave me hope when all hope was lost, I'm hooked to you and you are to blame. You came into my life and you made my heart drop, I'm happy to take on your name. I love you my baby, my sweet honey bee, I love you my baby, and your," she plucked down, "name," another pluck, "is..." She strummed, "Vee..."

"That was so cheesy," Veronica sniffled as she wiped her tears and stood up to take the guitar out of Josie's lap. She set it on the ground and replaced the instrument with herself, straddling Josie's hips over her dress, kissing her lips deeply, hands toying with her hairs. "And I love you so much for it." She whispered, and Josie grinned, leaning her forehead against Veronica's happily.

It was well worth all the planning, honestly.

After the tender moment, everyone got back into the swing of dancing and drinking, including Toni and I.

We danced to all the happy, upbeat songs, until around eight thirty, when the kids were all flooding out, and they decided to play more sensual music. At this point, Toni and I were holding each other, dancing to some slow song.

"This was the best." Toni sighed, leaning her head on my chest, and I shook my head.

"You're the best." I commended, and she shook her head back at me.

"Yeah, but you're better."

"We've been ending up here a lot lately." I pointed out, and she pulled me closer.

"It's how it should be, baby." She brought her hand against my cheek and played with my hair for a moment. "You deserve to have a dance with someone who adores you as much as I do." She swore, "you deserve to be treated like a queen." She accentuated her words with a kiss to my knuckles before the song changed to a familiar song that didn't have much of a place in a wedding, but was used anyway.

She moved her hips weirdly, her head swaying in the opposite direction as she swayed oddly in time with the piano. She grinned goofily as the words ran through the speakers.

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, singing words of wisdom, let it be." She took my hands and moved ours together unceremoniously, causing me to giggle as we danced like two idiots, all while everyone else danced slowly, looking over shoulders at us.

"Let it be, let it be! There will be an answer, let it be!"

...

"I'm so tired," I complained as I sunk into the seat of Toni's jeep, and she laughed.

"It was totally worth it though." She input before closing my door and rounding the car to get in on her side.

"They're gonna be together forever." I gushed as my companion started her vehicle and began to drive away from the venue.

The drive to Toni's apartment was comfortable and quiet, the music from the radio playing through the speakers of her car until she parked and we made our way up to her loft. I humored Toni's rat, Yoshi with a pat on the head as she poured us both a glass of whiskey, and we made our way up to her room. She lead me to the bed, setting our drinks down, unzipping my dress and pulling it down before allowing me to seat myself as she slid her shoes and pants off.

She straddled my thighs and took off her jacket, then her purple vest. Her hand tugged on the knot of her tie, but I stopped her with my own hand, which tugged the base, bringing her down to my level, where our lips met. I sucked her tongue into my mouth and moved my hands to tug on her hair, which was still tied up.

Much like what I wished to be in that moment.

Her body melded with mine perfectly as I reached my hands back between us to undo the buttons of her shirt, sliding it off without removing her tie. I unhooked her bra and moaned at her skin against mine before using my legs to turn us, so that I was on top of her, my hips grinding into her while I pulled the knot of her tie until it resided at the middle of her chest, before lifting it over her head and pulling it over mine. "It looks like I'm the daddy tonight." I hummed, and her eyes glazed over as her hands roamed my backside. "I moved her hands away and stepped back to reach into Toni's drawer for the toy we had become very familiar with over the last few months.

I've never used it on Toni before.

Nonetheless, I stepped into it, hooked the toy in, and grinned at her.

"Turn around." I hummed, and she moaned in anticipation before doing as I told. Her rear end was suspended in the air, bare and ready for me. I braced my knees on the bed, my hands roaming the skin of her backside before sliding between her thighs from behind. I ran my middle finger between her folds and sucked her arousal off with a heavy moan. "Are you ready for me?" I husked, and she nodded, allowing me to run the head of the silicon toy through her wet folds, to which she shuddered, her hips already rolling back into me. I used my right hand on the toy, my left to pull on Toni's ponytail while she anticipated my entrance to her.

I hummed and slowly guided the toy past her folds, to the outline of her center, stretching her out to accommodate the toy. She hissed, her legs spreading further, body getting closer to the bed to open wider as I pressed my hips to the hilt. I used my grip on her hair to catch her neck instead, bracing both hands around it as I slowly slid out, causing her legs to buckle with two short "Huh, huh!" sounds coming from her throat. I slowly began my ministrations, in and out, in and out, building up a stamina that began Toni's strangled gasping and moaning beneath my palms. She reached behind me and grasped for something, anything, coming up with the tie, pulling it so that I was flush against her, and I used my position to sink my teeth into the dip of her neck. I removed my left hand and took her hip in it as I twirled my hips against her sex. Her hips moved in a circle subconsciously, back quivering beneath me. I moved my right hand to her breathe, allowing her to exhale just before I slammed into her harshly.

"Oh!" She screamed, her arms giving up, her cheek having fallen against the mattress. I gripped both cheeks of her rear in my hands and landed a harsh smack to her right, to which she lurched backward into the toy, moaning at what she had done to herself. "Fuck!" She gasped, and I ran my hand down the small of her back, to the swell of her bum, where I lifted it, then pulled my hips back. I slammed my hips against her at the same time I did my hand on her globe. She gasped again, "Fuck, Cheryl, please, let me come." She begged, exciting me considerably as I gripped the reddening skin of her ass for leverage, using it to pull her further onto the silicon toy as I thrusted roughly inside of her, so much so, that the front of my thighs began to sting from how hard they slapped against the backs of hers.

I used my left hand to grip her ponytail again, jerking her back ener harder, causing Toni's body to give in, convulsing into orgasmic bliss around the toy. She fell forward, hips flush against the bed after I had guided her down, the dildo still deep inside of her. I laid against her back, thrusting slowly and softly, so to help her get used to the lack of stimulation. I pulled out of her and took the toy out of its harness, setting it upright on the nightstand before lying beside the woman on my stomach as well, pressing a kiss to the mark I had made on her neck with my teeth. I rubbed her rear tenderly, to calm the warm, irritated skin.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, and she exhaled before turning to me, blank faced. For a brief moment, I had a feeling of terror in my being, thinking I had hurt her.

"The neighbors hate us because of nights like this." She exhaled, and I laughed in relief, my hand still trying to ease the pain on her right butt cheek.

"I think I got carried away." I blushed, and she shook her head at me with a happy smile, pulling the tie around my neck toward her so that our lips could meet.

"Nonsense." She hummed, "I trust you." She promised, running her fingers within my hair tenderly.

"I love you."


	13. Thirteen

I wasn't even clear on as to whether it was me who I said I love you, or her, if I was being honest. I hoped it was her, because then I wouldn't have to worry about her not saying it back, but I just laid there, numb and confused, unsure on what to say.

I loved Toni, honestly, with a large part of my heart, the part that didn't consist of my son, of course. But I genuinely didn't know if it was a figment of my imagination that she said it, or if I had said it in my stupor of intoxication, caused by the love I was flooded with when I saw her, lying beside me, taken by my ministrations.

"I-I'm sorry..." Toni muttered, and this was the first time I had ever seen her riddled with suck insecurity. She stood up and went to her dresser for a pair of pants, then a sweater. "I'll drive you home now. I just thought-"

"Hush." I interrupted, jumping up off of her bed and approaching the beautiful woman in front of me. I took her face in both of my hands and looked between her eyes, which welled with tears. It made my own face buzz as tears threatened from my eyes. "Toni, I love you too." I whispered, and she looked between my eyes, likely searching for any sign of a lack of sincerity, and when she found none, she took my waist and pulled me close, kissing me deeply. I felt her tears

Run between our cheeks, and I pulled her closer.

This is exactly what I wanted. Somebody to love me unconditionally, no matter what my life was like. Someone to make me feel like I was special. Someone who made me feel like I had a reason to be on this earth. Someone who loved my family, and accepted me for all my flaws.

She embraces the craziness, and takes it as though she was ready for it. She would worship me, if I asked her to, and I knew that. She showed me that this world needs me for so much more than fashion, but for inspiration, and for strength, and to be a role model. My family trusts her with their lives, and she didn't just accept my flaws, she took extra care to show me that she loved my flaws just as much as the other things.

I let out a sob against Toni's lips, and she moved her hands up to tangle in my hair, and I felt like no amount of closeness was close enough.

"Lie with me, Toni." I whimpered upon pulling away from her tear stained face, and she nodded, pulling her sweat shirt and her pants off to walk to her bed with me.

I removed the strap and my panties, then lifted the covers and slid beneath them, allowing Toni to follow me. She turned toward me, and I tucked my left knee between hers, and my right one atop them. I wrapped my arms around her body, and she laid her head on my bare chest. We laid there like that, my hands caressing her hair until we fell asleep together.

...

"Good afternoon, kids!" Called my mom from the kitchen, and Toni and I walked through the house, hand in hand to go see my son for the first time in 18 hours.

"Mom, we're in our late twenties." I questioned as I walked in to see Alice sitting in a kitchen chair, feeding Mason, whose eyes were slowly closing.

"I tell her that all the time," Complained Betty as she walked from the bottom step, into the kitchen to get a juice from the fridge.

"For as long as I'm your mom, you'll all be my babies" Alice insisted, looking over my shoulder to Toni, who leaned against the sink, her hand out at Betty, asking her to give her a juice as well.

"You too, Antoinette." She assured, and I looked back to see Toni's eyes cast downward bashfully.

"That means I can do this." Betty said before sticking her finger in her mouth, then into Toni's ear."

"Ah, gross!" She screamed, pushing an amused Betty away as she cleared out the saliva. "I don't know where that finger has been!" She complained, and Betty chuckled before leaning against the counter beside my companion.

"I'm sure you know exactly where it's been." She rose her eyebrows, and Toni winced.

"Turning the pages of the word of God, I hope!" Alice scolded, and Betty laughed with the roll of her eyes.

"I'm a lesbian, mom. That's the most unholy form of gay." She reminded, and I nodded in agreement.

"Eh, who am I kidding, I'm not religious either." She muttered before standing up to put Mason in his carseat. "I just changed him before his bottle." She assured, "He had a bath this morning, and I gave him some tylenol for his teeth at seven thirty." I leaned in to hug my mom gratefully.

"Thank you so much, mom." I sighed, "We needed a break." I said heavily, but Toni interjected.

"You needed a break. I could've left at any time." She joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"I trust you guys had a good time then?" She asked, raising her brow scandalously, and I was taken aback.

"Mom, I'm sure you're not concerned about their sex life, right?" Asked Betty, "I mean, they're like rabbits."

"Not when the baby's in the house though." Alice hummed knowingly. "I know how hard it is with a baby in the house on new couples. I just want to make sure you two have all the time and space you need to grow before it becomes serious enough that it won't matter as much."

"Mom, have you met Toni?" Betty said again, "She was here through all that happened in September, there's nothing that can scare her away now. They've been serious for months, they just don't know it yet." She stated before walking out.

"No, we know." Toni piped in before I could say anything. "I love Cheryl, and Mason, and all of you." She swore, as though she was offended that Betty would suggest that she was ignorant to her own feelings. "Very much." She added, and Alice smiled before walking to pull Toni into a hug.

"I love you too, sweetie. We all do." She assured, and I watched as Toni melted into my mom's embrace, a content smile on my lips.

Everything was going right.

...

We decided to wait on Jason's funeral until after the wedding, due to the fact that we had so many things happening, like that, and Mason, and my intense schedule.

This is where we were now, standing outside at Picken's Memorial Cemetary where Jason and Midge's caskets lie above ground. Everyone had said their words at this point, and I was to go up last, after Charles, who had showed up for it, of course.

I stood, holding Mason in my arms, tears falling from my eyes as I looked down at the red headed little boy, knowing that I was holding the last remainder of him. My brother. My twin. The man who grew up beside me, and shared every moment with me. All the pain, all the hurt, all the happiness and joy.

Mason was all I had left.

"Tragic."

My neck snapped to see who belonged to the chillingly familiar voice, and my blood ran cold when I saw who it was.

"Penelope." My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat before pulling my son closer to my chest. "What are you doing here?"

"You always were a half-wit, Cheryl." She hissed, adjusting her red leather glove. "My son is dead, and I am here to mourn him." Penelope muttered, as though what I asked was stupid, but my jaw clenched in anger.

"Jason is not your son." I growled.

"I brought both of you into this world, you ungrateful little bitch!" She whispered forcefully, and I pulled Mason's head closer to my chest, uncomfortable with such words having been spoken around him.

"You left us alone in it." I said calmly, and she rose a brow.

"Like Mason did with his son?" She taunted, and I felt something in my heart pierce.

"He died, trying to be there for his son, you disgusting wench!" I screamed, causing everyone in the area to go silent, and to look our way. She looked around and smirked at me, as though she had won.

"Here, let me take him." Toni asked, suddenly reappearing by my side after going to comfort a crying Alice. I exhaled and shook my head, holding the last bit of my big brother.

"All that fame and money, but still nobody to love you. You'll always be unlovable." She hissed, and I was happy I didn't give Mason to Toni, because it allowed Toni to rear back and land a slap to the woman's face, causing her to gasp, as well as sever others. She came between Penelope and I and moved closer, making the old woman move back in fear, eyes wide as Toni began to yell.

"How dare you come to this sacred, familial space and insult the very first person who stepped forward to take care of your grandson? How dare you come out here and terrorize this family as they grieve their fall brother and sister, and their son, and their best friends?" He hands trembled, jaw tight as she fumed, "You claimed you're here to mourn, and that you loved him, but no loving mother would dare pick a fight with her daughter about the death of her twin brother! You are not a mother, you're a monster, and you need to leave my girlfriend to honor the memory of her brother." By the end, her chest was heaving, and she was pointing past me, to the exit of the cemetery.

Penelope's eyes darted around at everyone, who stood expectantly, most arms crossed over their chests in anger, disdain or disappointment.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of your bull dyke, Cheryl?" She spat, and I swallowed for a moment, still too shocked by everything to even think about what to say.

"You should be." Advised my real mother as she stepped around me to stand to the left of Toni, arms crossed over her chest as she towered over Penelope. "She'll do anything to protect Cheryl and that baby. So I'd stay away if I were you."

"What I want to meet my gran-"

"He's not your grandson," Toni snapped, "He's Alice's grandson, and I won't let you take that away from her." She cleared her throat "Now, I'm going to say it one more time." She moved dangerously close to a pathetic Penelope. "Stay. Away. From my son and his mother."

It was the last time I had ever seen her.


	14. Fourteen

"Your son, huh?" I heard Lulu say from across the kitchen during the reception we had put together at my house.

"Ugh, I don't know why I said that," Toni scolded herself, "I hope I didn't cross a line or anything, I mean, it's not like my name is on that birth certificate."

"Don't worry about it, dude." Lulu assured, "Cheryl knows how much you love Mason, and she'd be a fool to think you're not deserving to call him your son too. You do as much as she does, just because you love him, and you love spending time with him. If that's not an ideal co-parent, then I don't know who she could ask for that is any better."

"Yeah, but I said it in front of all her friends and family. I didn't even talk to her about it first, so I wouldn't blame her if she got upset."

"You really love this girl, don't you, Tiny?" Lucy asked, her tone soft as I watched Toni's eyes soften.

"More than anybody I've ever loved before." She hummed, and I felt my chest tighten happily.

I could safely say that the feeling is mutual.

"When are you gonna make it official?" I heard from directly behind me, and I jumped slightly before turning to see Josie smiling softly, a drink in her hand.

"What?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Toni talks about how in love she is with you, and you're in a committed relationship, but you never even said what you are to each other." She explained, "You tell everyone else how you feel, but it seems like you don't have a clear understanding on how to talk to each other, rather than those around you, or yourself, in your case."

She was right, I was too afraid to even admit my feelings to myself, let alone with Toni. Sure, I love her, and she knows that, but it's different than actually telling her how I feel, deeper than just that emotion.

"See, that's what I mean!" Josie scolded, smacking my shoulder. "You should tell her. Take her on a date, tell her how she makes you feel safe, and have great sex right after you make her your real girlfriend."

"I agree." Said Veronica, showing up from behind Josie, holding Mason in her arms. Josie turned around and kissed her wife before taking my son and holding him in the air, where he laughed at her from above. "Then, you can invite us when you're ready to propose."

"Whoa there." I laughed, holding my hands out in concern, "I met her like three months ago, marriage is not on the table right now." I laughed, and Josie shrugged.

"Either way. We'll even watch Mason, if you do it before Christmas."

"Yeah," Veronica leaned against her wife happily, "We have our honeymoon after that." She grinned up at Josie, leaning up to kiss her cheek.

"I'm guessing you haven't waited to consummate your marriage then?" I assumed, and they shared a look before bursting into laughter.

"Remember that thirty minute intermission between the reception and the dinner?" Veronica asked, and I nodded.

"We consummated in the limo on the way to the dinner venue." Josie finished, and I rose a brow. 

"I don't put it past them." Toni said, coming up from behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist. "They christened my back seat on the way back from the beach while you were sleeping." She divulged, and I cringed in disgust. "I had them over for dinner once last year. I'm never leaving them alone in my house again. I had to replace the countertops because every time I went to cook, I thought about Veronica's bear ass rubbing all over my potatoes."

"That doesn't sound bad at all." Josie said unapologetically, and Veronica rolled her eyes before taking Mason back and going to Alice, Lulu and Betty all sat.

"How did this conversation even start?" Toni asked with a hearty laugh.

"Just talking about date night." I answered.

"Was it that good, Josie?" She asked, and Josie laughed.

"Everything with Veronica is THAT good. But we're talking about you, boo." She gestured, causing Toni's brows to scrunch up in confusion.

"Baby," I hummed, turning my attention to Toni, my hand wrapping around her forearm as I looked her up and down, "I was just talking to Josie about how she's gonna watch Mason while I steal you away this weekend, after thanksgiving dinner with the Serpents, and Betty on Friday night." I looked over at Josie through the corner of my eye with a smirk. "Have a weekend away from everything in Vegas, just you and I?" I hummed, "What do you say?" I asked, and she smiled back at me.

"I think that's a great idea." She muttered, leaning in to kiss her deeply. "I'm sorry for the scene I caused with your mother, by the way." Toni apologized, looking down bashfully, and I smiled, taking her chin under my finger and making her look at me.

"Don't apologize for that, Toni." I shook my head for emphasis, "I'm happy you did. It shows me just who I'm letting into my family." I admitted, running my hands down her arms to take her hands in mine sincerely. "Who is calling my son theirs." I smiled softly, bringing our joined hands against my chest. Her eyes melted into mine, and I heard a faint whisper.

"I love you."

"I," I kissed her knuckles, "love you too." I smiled, swaying side to side with the rhythm of my heart as it fluttered.

...

"You're sure the serpents don't mind you two eating here tonight?" Alice asked over her mashed potatoes, and Lulu waved it off.

"Sweetpea is with his fiance's family, and Fangs is with is mom and little brother, so they don't care if we wait until tomorrow to do it." She assured from one side of the stove, and Toni nodded from the other side.

"Yeah, and Jellybean is with her Jughead and their dad."

"I heard his mom is there this year too." Lucy divulged, and Toni snorted.

"In that case, thank God we're not there." She rolled her eyes before moving to join me at the table, sticking her finger in Mason's grasp as he stared up at me from my arms.

"Are Josie and Veronica coming tomorrow night?" Lucy asked, and I rose a brow.

"Josie and Veronica are serpents?" I asked, and Toni shrugged.

"Veronica went to Juvie before her career took off, so we initiated her just before she served nine months. Josie joined when Veronica decided not to get the tattoo removed, and got a jacket."

"Wait," I looked up at Toni with a confused expression, and she hummed in question. "You don't have a tattoo." I recalled, and Toni chuckled before lifting up one of the four rings she keeps on her left middle finger, sporting a little 'S' in green ink on the side, between her middle and pointer finger.

"I keep it covered so I don't get into gang fights on the streets. Also why I don't wear my skin in the Jingle Jangle district." She winked, and I hummed in realization, surprised I didn't see it when we were showering together. Given, I'm not usually focused on the inside of her fingers when we're showering. Rather... her fingers inside something else.

"Hey, sorry we're late," Said Polly from the front door before appearing at the entrance to the kitchen with a pie tin in her hand, "Chuck refused to start getting ready until after the chocolate pie was ready." She rolled her eyes as the man's face peaked over hers from behind the wall. Polly hugged our mom and placed the pie on the table before walking out to go get Kyle.

"Hey, Mama." He smiled, hugging Alice from the side and kissing her cheek.

"You're twelve sometimes, Chuck, I swear." Alice chuckled as she continued to stir the potatoes into perfect consistency.

"She's really serious, and I'm care-free." He explained as he hugged Toni and kissed me on the forehead. "It works." He shrugged, dipping his finger into the potatoes to taste them. She slapped his arm and he turned to me to grin toothily, in that weird, big brother way. "Mm, needs salt, and sour cream." He hummed before reaching into the fridge to grab a soda, as well as the sour cream for my mom. He smiled deviously before holding his hands out and swooping in to take Mason from me before swooping out of the kitchen.

"How is he a lawyer when he is so childish?" I sighed, and Toni spoke up.

"The real question is, how does he have a six pack when all he consumes is bean burritos and cherry soda?" I rose a brow at her, and she shrugged, bracing one leg up on an empty chair before taking a drink from my bottle of apple juice.

"Remind me again why we're having dinner here when Cheryl's house is big enough house an army?" Betty asked, marching down the stairs in a fall dress.

"I like the homie-ness of my house." Alice answered without a beat, not turning away from her potatoes as Lucy walked around her to wrap her arms around Betty. She smiled, and craned her neck down significantly to kiss her. Betty is literally a foot shorter than Lucy, and sometimes it was amusing to watch Betty try and steal a kiss, but other times, it was admirable to see the way she hung from her girlfriend's neck.

That was the one thing I wished I could do with Toni that wasn't possible.

It was okay though, because I was convinced that there was no better match for me than Toni Topaz.

At dinner, we all laughed, and talked about what we were thankful for as we ate way too much, as thanksgiving is for. Kyle talked about his new fixation, which was all about music, as fueled by Kevin, who showed him some Fleetwood Mac after he asked about my Stevie Nicks that was playing when he was at my office. Now he talks about the technical side of music, spewing facts about sixteenth century music theory, something I didn't know anything about until college, where I struggled to keep up with two whole semesters.

I liked that he talked about scales, and octaves, especially when I saw Toni's eyes light up when they were talking about chords and progressions in regards to instruments, which she was really experienced with.

"I have a guitar in my trunk, if you want me to show you how to play it." Toni offered, looking up at his parents. "I'll teach him how to be good at it before I let him use it without supervision." She assured to his parents, to which Chuck grinned.

"I know my way around the axe too." He tried, and Polly rolled her eyes.

"Being able to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little star' is not the same as 'knowing your way around' a guitar, Chuck." Polly corrected, "We'll leave Toni to the teaching." She smiled kindly across the table at my giddy companion, who jumped up and ran out, calling out to Kyle, who followed just as excitedly.

"God, I love that overgrown child." I sighed to myself, suddenly feeling eyes on me. "What?" I asked with a shrug.

"Nothing," Alice said first.

"It's just nice to finally see you happy." Polly chimed.

"Yeah, man, I haven't seen you smile this much... ever." Scoffed Chuck in realization, and I shrugged.

"It's hard sometimes, because all I see when I look at Mason is Jay-Jay." I looked down at the boy how snoozed in the car seat that was lying on the ground between Toni's chair and my own.

"It's what he'd want, honestly, Cheryl." Betty said knowingly, taking my hand atop the table supportively.

"Yeah, there's nobody more fit to love Mason than you, Cher." Polly assured.

"And Toni, I think." Alice chimed, and everyone at the table, including Lucy, who wore a big grin on her face.

"Honestly, I've never seen Toni so lively, and excited about life before." Lucy chimed. "It's like a whole new person, one who isn't riddled with anxiety and abandonment issues. I think you and Mason are the best things that ever happened to her." She theorized, "And that's saying something, because I'm one of her closest friends." She bragged, and I rolled my eyes. She was just like her older brother, and I loved that about them. Sometimes I forget who's said what when I quote them, or look back to remarks they've made in the past.

...

"Wanna try again?" Toni asked Kyle as they sat together with the guitar on his lap. We all sat around, talking as Toni worked to teach Kyle the notes on the guitar, which was proven difficult, given his short fingers.

"Why don't you sing something?" He asked, and Toni cleared her throat, adjusting her posture.

"What should I sing?" She asked, and he hummed, tapping his little chin momentarily before his eyes lit up, and he stumbled to his feet to take my hand and pull me to the floor by it. He instructed my to sit across from Toni.

"Something romantic, for Auntie Cheryl." He demanded, sitting on the couch beside his dad as he looked at us intently.

"Okay..." She grinned, clearing her throat before strumming the keys slowly for a moment before beginning a soft strum.

"Wait!" Kyle called, "What's the song?" He asked, and she just smiled over her shoulder.

"It's a song that plays in my head every time I look at auntie Cheryl." She hummed, looking me in the eyes with a smile.

"When you try your best but you don't succeed," She strummed, "When you get what you want, but not what you need. When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep, stuck in reverse." She inhaled deeply, and began a soft strum again, her head swaying, and I looked up at my family, who all had similar, loving expressions.

"Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, I will try to fix you." She looked up from the guitar as her fingers strummed freely, her eyes looking deeply into mine.

"When tears stream down your face, when you lose something you cannot replace, tears stream down your face, and I... tears stream down your face." I felt myself melting into the words she embraced me with as she serenaded me. "I promise you I'll learn from my mistakes. Tears stream down your face, and I..."

She let out a steady stream of strums as she smiled at me with a smile so bright, my eyes brimmed with tears. "Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones. I will try to fix you." She finished the last strum, and I ignored the clapping as I surged forward and kissed the woman behind the guitar deeply, mustering all the love I could into my lips.

She understood, even through all this happiness and goodness. She knows, and she respects the truth behind who I am. What I am.

A Fixer Upper.


	15. Fifteen

"Happy thanksgiving, Cheryl." Smiled Fangs as he hugged me. I smiled and kissed his cheeks.

"Happy thanksgiving, hun." I said in response as he opened the door for me to enter. "It smells really good." I hummed as I sat my bag on Toni's piano, removed my shoes and ran to the kitchen to see Toni. She was faced away from me, basting the turkey, so I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around her waist. I kissed her cheek and rested my chin in her shoulder, causing her to grin.

"Hi baby." She said giddily as she put the baster down and turned around in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips deeply, causing me to hum against her lips.

"It smells amazing in here." I smiled against her lips and toyed with the tie of her apron around her waist, and she pulled away with a smile.

"Fangs, Lulu and I have been cooking all morning." She informed before turning away to put the turkey back in the oven. "Where did Lulu go, anyway?"

"Betty told her when we got here, so she's being greeted downstairs by Lulu now." I divulged, and she rolled her eyes.

"She's supposed to finish the cheesecake." She grunted in annoyance, and I smiled softly, deciding she needed her space to finish.

"Where's Yoshi?" I asked, and she answered without looking up from her stuffing.

"Under the piano."

I looked down to where she said he was, and noticed he was looking at me, so I got on my hands and knees, and began to crawl to him, causing him to get up and run towards me. I opened my arms and pulled him into my embrace before rolling onto my back and petting him as he laid on my chest, kissing my hands as they moved around to run through his short fur.

"What the hell are you doing?" Betty asked me upon entering, and I shrugged.

"Playing with my other son." I said simply, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Okay, weirdo." She looked up at all the books at once, and her eyes widened in awe. "Toni, can I look at your books?" She asked, not moving her eyes from the shelves.

"Yeah, just put them back into order based on letter and genre when you're done." She said distractedly, and Betty grinned excitedly before running to the ladder nearest her bed.

"Don't go upstairs!" Toni warned, and I remembered that we haven't cleaned up in there since Josie and Veronica's wedding, since she only goes up there anymore when I'm with her, considering the fact that she basically lives with me. "Babe, can you go upstairs and clean up the room?" She shouted, and I shrugged before putting Yoshi down and going up the ladder before Betty moved it. I looked around and picked up our clothes everywhere, putting them in the little burgundy hamper in the corner of her room, beside her bed, on the other side of the bed side table. I began to make the bed, and smirked when I saw the purple tie hanging from the bed. I put it around my neck and tied it before finishing making the bed. I blushed when I saw the red dildo standing upright on the side table, the strap it connected to lying on the ground at the foot of the bed.

I had to wash it, because god knows we weren't going to wash it before we used it next. We never think about that kind of stuff when our minds are clouded by lust. I got into Toni's drawer, slid a big hoodie over my black dress, and put the dildo inside. I walked to the edge of her room, and noticed Betty had put the ladder back so I could climb down. I did so, and rushed across the front room to the bathroom. Before I could open the door, Toni was walking toward me with a smile.

"You look so cute in my clothes." She mumbled, walking up to me and kissing me, her hands on the pockets, so to pull me closer. She put her hands inside the pockets to hold mine, but her eyes widened when she felt the ridges of the silicon toy in my hands. "Oh?" She chuckled, and I blushed furiously.

"I have to wash it." I whispered, and she nodded before pulling me into the bathroom. She closed the door and took the toy out of my pocket. She turned on the water and began to wash it while I stood back and watched her hand run along the length of the shaft as she washed it. She placed it on the counter and turned around to face me with a soft grin. She leaned in and kissed me deeply, taking my breath away with the passion. I felt her knee separate mine, the her hand hiking up my dress. I felt my chest heave as her lips latched to my neck, around the sweatshirt.

"You look so sexy in that dress." She husked in my ear, removing the sweater and tossing it to the side. Her eyes looked at me, and she grinned at the purple tie around my neck, which I forgot was there. She moved my panties aside and toyed with my clit, causing my legs to tremble. I gasped at her touch, and her ministrations grew faster, her wrist flicking as she grew a furious pace. I felt myself building up, and just her touch was enough to take me over the edge. She breathed against my neck, and I felt myself falling over the edge, just in time for her to pull away. I whimpered, my center throbbing in neglect as she smirked, kissed my lips once more, and disappeared from the bathroom, her evil smirk lingering in my eyes.

I leaned against the wall for a second, trying to regain my composure. I walked out, and turned my head to the left, where Toni stood, her fingers in her mouth, eyes rolled at the back of her head before they met with mine, and she turned around to wash her hands. She put her apron back on and got back to work.

I sat at the bar stool and watched Toni cook, even after Sweetpea got here. I wasn't interrupted from my concentration until Toni's other close friend, Jellybean walked in, followed by a broody man in a stupid hat.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Toni asked, her lip quivering in anger, and Jellybean sighed.

"Yesterday was disastrous, and Jug had a mental breakdown, so I don't really want to leave him alone." The green eyed woman said of her older brother before handing a bottle of champagne to Toni. "I'm sorry." She muttered, her eyes pleading with Toni, who sighed.

"Don't expect for it not to be awkward. He did out my girlfriend, after all." She looked up at him with a glare, and he just sat in the front room, across from Betty, who only briefly looked over her book at him to shoot daggers with her eyes. "If he gets out of line, I will literally throw him out of the window from the fourth story." She warned of Jellybean, who nodded.

"If he gets out of line, I'll do it myself." She promised. "I don't like him, but he's my brother, so I love him." She said sadly, and Toni nodded in understanding before addressing me.

"Babe, this is Jellybean Jones, my long-time friend from the serpents. Jellybean, this is my girlfriend." She offered, and the shorter woman smiled, her raspy voice ringing through at me.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard really good things about you. And I'm so sorry for Jughead, he was out of line, and there's no excuse for what he did. You dealt with it really well though, and I hope he didn't cause any additional greif." She flushed, and I smiled, despite my discomfort at his presence.

"Thank you, and it's okay, honestly. It happened months ago, and his career suffered more than me, so I'm not really worried about it."

It was another twenty minutes before we all started to sit at the table and eat. There was turkey, potatoes, macaroni, greens, stuffing, pies and cakes, and ham. We all ate and conversed amongst the eight of us, not including Jughead, who ate at the bar, where we all ignored him.

He seemed not to mind anyway.

"I'm really impressed by all the things you've accomplished, even just over the last three months, Cheryl. You're kinda like entrepreneurial royalty." Jellybean blushed, looking down at her potatoes.

"Thank you so much, that means a lot." I smiled after I finished my bite of food.

"Yeah, I mean, it must be amazing; having everyone know your name, and be able to do anything you want." She chuckled, and I scoffed.

"I can do far from everything." I argued. "I can't even really be my own person, sometimes."

"Oh, no, of course not, I meant that, like, you can get whatever you want because of how hard you worked before." She tried, and I shook my head.

"Nobody can get whatever they want. Especially not when whatever you want can't be bought." I told, and she chuckled.

"What more could you want that you can't buy?" She asked, and I felt my heart clench.

"Privacy." I said simply, fighting off the stinging of the tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

"Well there has to be something-"

"There isn't." I snapped, dropping my fork.

"But is that all-"

"My brother and my best friend died, and before I could process it, it was smeared all over headlines. I had to grieve the loss of the most permanent fixture in my life under a microscope, where my relationship has remained because of people like you and your brother." I snapped. "Your brother outed a public figure and spreads fake news, ruined lives of innocent people, and my big brother, my upstanding, amazing person of a brother, who saved babies, and kept them alive, is dead. Buried six feet under, and everyone on the planet knows, and is making it more about me. What I'm doing. How I'm handling raising his son with my girlfriend, who isn't even officially my fucking girlfriend, but manages to be a better parent to him than me. And everyone can see that. Why?" I asked, looking around to everyone, whose eyes were the only things moving, between me, Jughead, and Jellybean, whose mouth was agape in speechlessness. "Because I have no fucking privacy." My lip trembled, and I stood up and stormed out of the apartment. I sat out of there for a moment, breathing and trying to regain my composure. Tears only spouted from my eyes further as I began to fall apart, knowing I was being stupid, and that I was gonna have to apologize to her and her brother, but I didn't want to.

She was a reporter too. Or a journalist, a blogger, something. I could feel it in the way she talked to me. The way she interrogated me.

"Hey," I heard as the door rolled open, "Do you want some company?" Toni asked, and I just sniffled. She sat beside me and wrapped her arm around me before kissing my forehead.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you." I sniffled, and she shook her head.

"You didn't." She swore. "Jellybean was being ignorant, and she was pushing you. You're right, it isn't fair that you worked this hard, just to be ridiculed for everything you do wrong. Or everything everyone else does wrong to you."

"I don't even know where it came from." I exhaled sadly. "I was fine, and then I felt like I was being interrogated by another reporter."

"Yeah, she works as an interviewer for Clevver News' YouTube channel." She divulged. "But she's a broke college kid living off of two hundred bucks a month, so she was a little envious, knowing you live in the Riverdale district. She can't even afford to live in this district, and she never has been able to. I promise she wasn't trying to sound like that, she just naturally sounds like that." She tried, and I shook my head.

"I don't think I can apologize to them, Toni." I whispered, and she shook her head.

"I don't expect you to. Neither does Jellybean. She knows she was in the wrong, she said so."

"What about her brother?" I inquired, and she scoffed.

"Who cares about him? He never apologized for what he did to you, so why should you apologize for speaking on how he affected you? Absolutely not." I smiled softly at her, and leaned in to kiss her lips.

"Can we go back inside?" I asked, and she nodded, standing, and then reaching a hand out to help me up. We opened the door, and I watched as Betty walked into the bathroom.

"Oh no." I muttered as she turned on the light, and Toni turned her head to me.

"Wha-"

"WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A DILDO ON THE BATHROOM COUNTER?"


	16. Sixteen

"Wait, this is the Tahoe exit. I thought you said we were going to Vegas." Toni said to me as I drove down the exit to Lake Tahoe.

"Yeah, but I realized Tahoe is prettier, and I've always loved snow... and hated smokey casinos full of old people and drunk twenty one years olds." I scrunched my nose up in distaste, "That's okay, right?" I asked, not really caring if she said yes or not.

"Definitely." She smiled. "We got a hotel room?" She asked, and I rose my brows in a playful manner.

"You'll see."

...

"This is adorable, baby." She gushed as we walked through the threshold to the little one bedroom cottage I rented for the two of us. "Board games." She scoffed with a laugh as we walked through the house to the room with our bags. "I haven't played one since I was twelve."

"Maybe we can play strip twister tomorrow." I grinned, and Toni corrected me.

"It's three in the morning. So you mean today." She grinned, and I rolled my eyes as I walked through the door to the large, circular bed in the middle of the room. It was made beautifully, just for us to mess it up.

"I'm happy we could do this." Toni admitted as we pulled the sheets back and laid down together. "Especially after such a drowning week." She sighed, pulling the blankets over us. I scooted close to Toni until I was flush against her, my chin in her shoulder as we face each other, eyes closed.

"I know," I hummed, "A wedding, a funeral, an unwanted family reunion, AND two thanksgivings? Never again."

"And I feel like everything is taking a toll on you, so you really need to take a mental health day. I was getting worried you'd burn yourself out." I felt her wrap her arm around my head and her hand begin to stroke my head.

It was touching, knowing someone cared about me beyond my physical well being, and that of my family. She really was a catch, the second best thing in my life. I love her.

"I love you." I muttered against her shoulder, and I felt her body relax against me when I spoke my affirmations.

"I love you too, princess." She hummed.

"Am I your girlfriend?" I asked, my eyes falling as my mind drifted off.

"That's all I want from you right now." She whispered, and felt myself smile as my body shut itself down for sleep.

...

"Good morning, girlfriend." I heard as my eyes began to open, my gaze immediately catching the eyes of Toni, who was looking on at me with a big grin on her face. I smiled when I realized who was talking to me, and I leaned my hand up to caress the side of her neck.

"Good morning, girlfriend." I hummed softly, leaning in to kiss her lips deeply.

"I can't believe I get to spend all weekend with THE Cheryl Blossom." She hummed, rolling close to me and snuggling against me. "No interruptions, no work stuff, just you," She moved her nose close to my face, her hand running along my abdomen beneath my top. "Me," She kissed my jaw, "and five new rooms to..." She trailed, her right hand playing with the hem of my lace panties. "Spend all weekend in." Her lips opened against my jaw, and I hummed as she moved her fingers from along the hem of my underwear, down over the fabric of them, teasing me through the lace.

"Mm," I moaned, "not if you plan on teasing me." I threatened, and she pulled away with her eyes wide, as though appalled that I would make such a threat. "I mean it." I shrugged from beneath her, and she huffed. "After what you pulled yesterday at your place, I'm wary, and I'm willing to take precautions." I laughed, and she dropped on me in deflation.

"How about I make us breakfast?" She asked, and I closed my eyes softly, humming to myself in excitement.

"You're too good to me." I accused, and she just smiled at me from where she hovered above.

"I take care of my own." She swore dutily, and I smiled in adoration. "And you..." She leaned down and kissed me softly before straightening her arms again. "Are all mine, always." She grinned happily, basking in the way I admired her. She leaned down again to kiss me, and I held her cheeks to keep her lips on mine. We pulled away, and she looked at me, causing my chest to ache pleasantly.

"Your breath smells like a public restroom." I chuckled, and she leaned down again to blow her breath in my face. I scowled and pushed her chest away as I laughed at her antics. She grabbed my shoulders to pull me closer, opening her mouth and putting it over y nose so that it was the only thing I could smell. "Ew!" I cackled, trying to wiggle free, "If you don't move, I will blow my nose in your mouth!" I warned and she pulled away with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Blossom Boogers? Yes please!" She groaned dramatically, "I bet they taste like heaven!" She gushed fakely before rolling off of me and stepping off the bed from my side. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth, and then?" She leaned down to kiss me before pulling away just after we shared the kiss. "I'm making you some bacon and pancakes." She promised, walking out and moving to round the corner.

"I don't want you in the kitchen unless you're naked!" I shouted, and she looked at me before pulling her top over her head and continuing off to the bathroom, shouting over at me through the wall.

"Dito!"

...

"Babe, that's cold!" Toni wined from across the front yard, trying to get the ball of snow out of her cleavage.

"Maybe you should've zipped up your jacket." I shrugged without a hint of remorse, causing her to adopt that familiar mischievous look, before she charged at me. My eyes wilderness and I jumped out of the way, causing her to topple over into a pile of snow. I fell over in laughter at her and we were tangled in a giggling mess of limbs.

The day went about like that, the two of us laughing and running around, holding each other and acting like children in love for the first time ever.

With Toni's birthday coming up in February, however, I had to take some time while she was showering to make some calls. I wanted it to be big, like a ball, the ones she always gushed over when we threw them for launch parties. Only more elegant, with live music and a bar. All her closest friends, my family, and a double chocolate chocolate champagne cake.

It was a lot to get ready, so I was mumbling and working on it in secret in the room while she showered and made dinner.

"How about we make it a black and white ball?" Josie suggested, "Let her dress the way she wants, and you wear red so you stand out." She finished.

"Yeah, I think that would be really sexy." I chuckled.

"What would? Asked Toni from the doorway, and I immediately hung up and locked my phone.

"Uh, just an idea for January's cover shoot." I tried, and she rose a brow.

"You already have a topic?" She asked as I stood up to walk out of the room.

"Nicki Minaj finally agreed to work with us." I grinned excitedly, and her eyes widened with the same emotion before she took me in her embrace and kissed me.

"That's amazing." She mumbled against my forehead, and I nodded before taking her hands in mine.

"I..." I looked sincere, "am so, so..." I looked into her eyes deeply before finishing. "Hungry."

Toni rolled her eyes and let go of one hand, using the other to drag me into the dining room, where the table was set with candles and plates of food on each of our places, a glass of wine beside them.

We ate, and laughed, and talked, then cleaned up before cuddling on the couch together in front of the fireplace.

"When are you supposed to meet Nicki?" Toni asked from in my lap where she looked up at me, and I grinned.

"Monday morning. You'll be handling her photoshoots, because she specifically requested you." I winked, and she sat up abruptly.

"No way!" She gasped in disbelief, and I nodded excitedly to my girlfriend.

"Her one request was that the photographer from the McCoy wedding be the one who carries out her looks." I revealed, something I was planning on waiting for, but Toni was already about to find out about her party earlier, and God knows the assumptions that can be made when someone keeps something from their partner.

"This is the best news of my life!" She squealed, taking my face between her hands and kissing me deeply. "You're the best!" She laughed, and I rose a brow.

"No, that's you. Of else she wouldn't have asked for you."

...

"Do we have to go home?" Toni pouted, draping herself across the center console at me, and I giggled.

"Well, we already gave the key back, and you get to meet Nicki Minaj tomorrow, so yes." I said practically, and she groaned childishly.

"I'm impatient." She pouted.

"Meanwhile, we can sing songs in the car, and when we get home, you can play with Mason all you want." I assured.

"We didn't have sex once this weekend." She pouted, yet again, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Life isn't all about sex, Toni."

"Nonsense! Sex is the foundation on which our relationship was built. We shall not trash talk sex!" She swore formally, and I giggled.


	17. Seventeen

"Oh my God, there she is." Muttered Toni as we watched the one and only Nicki Minaj walk toward us, two guards standing behind her as eyes lingered on at her, including the eyes of my new assistant, Reginald, whose jaw seemed to be on the ground at the beautiful woman who made her way in. "Dude, I'm gonna pass out." She muttered, and I laughed before pushing her toward one of the two chairs.

"Go over there, weirdo." I said before walking around my desk and opening the door to my office. "Hello, Nicki, I'm Cheryl Blossom, it's so nice to meet you." I smiled, placing a hand out for her to shake, to which she did.

"I know who you are," She assured, "I've been looking forward to this all month." She admitted, and I had to fight the urge to explode into a fit of cheers and squeals.

"This is my partner, Toni Topaz," I gestured to my girlfriend, who stood up to shake Nicki's hand. I could see her face going red as she tried to keep herself calm in the presence of someone so amazingly influential.

"Hi, I'm honored to meet you, I'm a huge fan." Toni admitted, and Nicki looked down modestly before moving to take a seat, her guards standing outside by the door.

"You can go ahead and close the curtains, it's distracting, being stared at." Nicki assured, and I did so, getting a pathetically sad look from the black haired man who sat in the assistant's desk outside of my office.

"I'm so sorry for my employees," I chuckled, "They're still somehow not used to seeing famous people walk through the bullpen." I apologized, and she waved it off.

"Don't apologize, I get it. We're all only human." She chuckled.

"Alright," I sighed as I sat down at my desk, looking between my girlfriend and the rapper. "I'm not sure of the say you've had in previous magazines, but here at Bombshell Magazine, we pride ourselves on giving you dictation over your project." I assured, "This is your issue, so we allow you to do with it what you want. We can talk about everything that's happened for you this year, with your album release, or we can talk about how much you pride yourself on the reality of everything. Maybe female empowerment?" I suggested, and Nicki smiled.

"I was thinking about speaking on colorism in the media, and how everyone is classified based on that." She suggested, and I looked to Toni, whose eyes lit up excitedly.

"I can help with that."

...

We had spent about three hours conversing with Nicki on her issue before she and her guards made their leave, allowing Toni and I to breathe for a moment.

"That was nerve wracking." Toni exhaled, sinking into her seat beside where Nicki was at first. "God, she's even more great in person." She gushed, and I chuckled before I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. I reached into it to read a text from Josie.

"White candle sticks or shimmery silver?"

"Definitely white."

"You are so lucky I love you, or I wouldn't be skipping out on sex in Italy with my wife."

"Go please your wife! Her birthday isn't until February, and we have other friends on it."

"Helloooo, earth to Cheryl?"

"Huh? What?" I asked, locking my phone the moment I was again aware of the woman across from me.

"Stop texting your side piece and give me attention." Toni jested, and I smiled before dropping my phone in my lap and leaning over the desk.

"It was just Josie." I laughed, and she rose a brow.

"It's always 'just Josie,' babe." She accused, and I rose a brow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever since Tahoe, you've been texting someone, invested in your phone, acting like you're hiding something." Her eyes seemed sincerely upset, and the last thing I wanted was to upset her.

"Don't worry about it," I chuckled, "it's all just work stuff, I promise." I assured, and she still looked skeptical.

"I hope so." She said insecurely, but I knew I couldn't just tell her about what's happening, because surprises were sacred to me.

I decided that I needed to stay in late, so I could draw up a map on what we would be using for Nicki's issue, so I let everyone home early so I could work alone. Toni said she would be picking me up late in the evening on her way to my house from picking up Mason from my mom's house. 

A lot had to be done here, so I spent from three to six thirty drawing out pages, where I could still make room for ads and other shoots and articles. At six thirty, I went to the employee lounge for some food, where I ate and went over details on Toni's party. I had to ensure my guest for my high school reunion, which wouldn't even be taking place until June, which made this early RSVP absolutely ridiculous, but I guess they had a lot of preparations to make.

I didn't want to go home when I was finished at eight, mostly because I didn't want Toni questioning me anymore, and I didn't want to get the cold shoulder she had been sending me all afternoon. She seemed so upset that I was keeping something from her, and I could see it in her body language all day. She didn't even come into my office to ask if I needed anything fixed, which was weird. Something was obviously hurting her. Instead of deciding to leave, I cleaned my office and lit some candles so it smelled like fresh cherry blossom in the air. By the time I was satisfied with that, it was nine in the evening. I shot a text to Toni and pulled up a word puzzle on my phone to play in the bullpen while I waited for her to come get me.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I woke up in a fit of coughs. I had to squint when I forced my eyes open, because I was shocked when I was met with something that would change my life forever.

It wasn't until I had heard the blaring bell of the fire alarm that I had actually processed what was happening.

I looked around and picked up my phone to dial 911 as I crawled toward the fire escape on the other end of the room, by my office.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?" Asked the woman on the end, and I choked through the fumes.

"There's a fire at the Bombshell building on Maine street and I'm trapped inside." I coughed, and the dispatcher gave me explicit instructions upon asking me what floor I was on and telling me that responders were on the way. She told me to keep away from the source of the fire and to shallow my breathing. To stay low, and to keep my eyes open.

But I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep.

I hung up with her and crawled into the opposite corner of the bull pen, forcing my eyes open as they told me over and over again to let them stay closed.

"Cheryl?" I heard following the ding of the elevator, and when I saw the familiar silhouette, I knew I could finally close my eyes.


	18. Eighteen

The next thing I remember is waking up, painstaken and assaulted by a bright light. I had to blink repeatedly to get used to the light, my arms to heavy to lift to my face so I could shield myself from the brightness. I looked around, my neck stiff and uncomfortable while I processed the fact that I was in a hospital room. I looked around for the nurse's button, and reached up slowly for it, pushing it with all my might.

"She's awake, doctor," I heard called from beyond the doors of the room I was in, followed by the sound of the door opening. I looked to the door to see somebody

"Good afternoon, Miz Blossom, my name is Doctor Weatherby." Introduced a man in a white coat with a bald head and glasses.

"I didn't think it'd get that bad." I muttered, my voice scratchy and hard to speak with.

"What?" He asked, a brow risen.

"The smoke. I've been asleep all day?" I asked, and he smiled sadly, shaking his head.

"It's been a month, Cheryl." He explained, and my eyes tried to widen, but my head was pounding too hard for my eyes to will themselves open that far. "You've been in a coma since the fire last month, Cheryl." He divulged, "It's January twelfth."

...

"Oh, thank God!" Shouted the familiar voice of my mother, waking me up from my rest, something I had obviously done a lot of the last month. She crashed through the door, along with Polly. "Baby!" She sobbed, rushing over to hug me harshly.

It's been a week since I've woken up from my coma, but I didn't want them to tell my family until I was able to leave the hospital, just so I didn't have all of those weird visits where they all talked about how much they missed me while I was lying pathetically in the hospital bed. I was all ready to be discharged, they just wanted me to have someone come pick me up, so of course, I called my mom.

Toni visited every day since I had woken up, but the doctors turned her away every time, making up an excuse every time. I didn't want her to see me the way I was, all broken and sick.

Despite the fact that she had seen me like that, likely every day for a month.

"She's ready to go home when you are." Smile the nurse kindly to my sister, who seemed happier than ever.

"We're so happy you're okay, honey." Exhaled Alice, a big smile on her face, and I smiled, turning to get up out of the hospital bed, already sporting some street clothes that I had called Kevin to get for me.

Even when he wasn't my assistant anymore, I could still trust him.

Man, I needed to make him my best friend.

"Where's Mason?" I asked, and Polly smiled kindly.

"In the car with Kyle." She said simply, reaching a hand out to be helped out of the bed. Luckily, I was given enough painkillers to get rid of the aching of being in the same position for a month, and the doctor prescribed me to go to physical therapy for a month, just so I can properly regain my motor skills.

"I want to go see my son." I said simply, and the two women seemed to understand, being mothers themselves. It was five minutes before we were out, and I was being pushed out to the parking lot in a wheelchair, until we got to Polly's car. I got in the back seat, ready to see my son. I looked at my boy, revelling in his eyes as he looked up at me, a big smile on his face.

This was what I missed the most for the last week. I missed my son's smile, the big look on his face, the way he smelled. All of it. I unbuckled him and pulled him against my chest, and I couldn't help but let out a sob at the realization that he's grown so much in the last month. I missed out on an entire month of his life, and that may not be a lot to most, but to me, it was a third of his life that I wasn't there for.

I closed my eyes and rubbed his head in my palm, smelling him and sighing, knowing I was finally back with my boy.

"Toni insisted on staying with him during-" Polly trailed off when she realized she couldn't say what she was going to say, "everything..."

"Yeah, she said that she didn't want to stray away from routine just because you were away." Alice added.

"She told me that having him gave her hope that you'd come back to her." Kyle said from the other side of Mason's car seat, making me aware of his presence for the first time. I smiled slightly, happy that she wasn't still upset about the whole Josie thing.

"Where is she now?" I asked, still holding my son.

"She's working with Chuck on the insurance suit." Polly explained, and I rose a brow.

"The top six floors were burnt to a crisp." Alice sighed, leaning against the car to talk to me.

"I was up there though, o-on the top floor." I muttered, and Kyle shook his head.

"Toni got you out before it got to the roof." He divulged, and I rose a brow.

"The fire was started by some candles in your office, babe." Alice explained, and I grew dizzy. I set Mason back in his car seat, Kyle immediately buckling him up for me.

"I set fire to my own company." I whimpered, and Polly immediately dropped to her knees to look at me.

"Hey, it's okay, Cheryl." She assured, "I promise, it's okay. Maybe we should talk about everything when we get home, okay?" Polly suggested, and I gulped, bringing my legs into the car and buckling my seatbelt.

...

"Oh my God." Sobbed Toni, her hands over her face as she looked at me from the doorway, where she walked into the house upon seeing me. She ran up to me and pulled me into her embrace. I felt tears running down my face as I held her close to me, feeling safe, only for the second time since I woke up from the hospital. I kissed her tear soaked cheek before tucking my head in her shoulder as she rocked my back and forth. She pulled away, looking me in the eyes, scanning my face before grabbing it and kissing me with a depth I've never felt.

God, I really was home, at last. I moved my lips against hers, my arms clinging to her = and never wanting to let go. I missed my girlfriend so much, and it's hurt, not being able to see her, or hear her, or kiss her, or hold her hand.

"I missed you so much." She sobbed against my neck, and I whimpered.

"You saved my life." I cried, and she pulled away, looking me in the eyes. Her left hand held the side of my neck, her right wiping tears from my left cheek.

"Of course, I did, baby!" She exclaimed sadly, looking at me as though she'd already lost me once. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost you, Cheryl." She cried, her face faltering and she let out another sob. She shook her head and pulled me against her again, her hands roaming along my back.

"Be careful," I whispered upon feeling her hands rub sore, raw parts of my skin. "I was burned pretty bad." I admitted sadly, and I felt her body go rigid. She stepped away from me cautiously, and I sighed. "It's okay, baby, I promise." I assured, stepping forward and taking her hands in mine, pressing them against my lips.

"Cheryl?" I heard Chuck's voice, and turned around to wave at him. His lips quirked up into a big smile, and he trotted through the front door to me, lifting me in the air and spinning me around. I hissed, and he realized his roughness, setting me down and stepping away. "I'm sorry." He chuckled bashfully. "I-I'm happy you're okay." He stammered, and I chuckled, punching his arm playfully.

"Well, Betty, Lulu and the boys are on their way over too." Polly warned, turning her phone off.

"Where's my phone?" I asked, interested in calling Josie to check up on her.

"Yeah..." Chuck gritted his teeth, "about that..."

...

"Wait, so Nick St Clair got ahold of my phone?" I asked, and Toni nodded, her hand in mine as she sat beside me on the sectional.

"It must've fallen out of your pocket when you were being put into the ambulance." Toni shrugged, and I shook my head.

"I specifically remember dropping my phone on the floor of the bullpen after I called nine-one-one." I insisted, and Alice placed her hand on my knee.

"Maybe you forgot putting it back, Cheryl." Alice insisted, and I let it go, because I didn't have the time to think about that.

"Okay, so he got ahold of my phone, and leaked all the information I had on Nicki's issue?" I asked, and Toni nodded.

"He also leaked unreleased versions of Toni's songs, and screenshots of our conversations from when I worked as your personal contractor." She divulged, "You've been smeared as another 'prowling power predator' who preys on people in lower positions than you to get some sort of sexual fulfillment." She said through gritted teeth, and I looked to her with pain in my heart.

"Do they think that you slept your way to where you are?" I asked in worry, and she shook her head.

"Luckily, I'm not in a high enough branch for that, but they think Valerie Brown did. Apparently it ruined her entire relationship with Andrews Construction's son." She divulged.

"Oh my God!" I groaned, running my fingers through my hair and tugging on it. "Can it get any worse?" I asked, and Chuck sighed.

"You shouldn't ask that yet." He advised.

"They've also outed talent scout and publicist, Heather Harnsby with old pictures and videos from when you two were together in college and high school."

"How did he even access things from so long ago?" I cried, tears falling from my eyes, overwhelmed with stress.

"Your bank account was hacked into as well. We managed to freeze it shortly after, but not before half a million dollars was stolen." Polly admitted.

"We went ahead and made you a new account with a new bank and a new routing number. Your new pin is Mason's birthday." Alice assured, and I exhaled.

"How much are the repairs gonna be for Bombshell?" I asked, and Chuck waved me off.

"Don't worry about that, insurance is handling it." He assured.

"Well, that's one thing." I sighed.

"Luckily, there are a lot more people routing for you than not, but you've already made the headlines of every big news media outlet in the country." Chuck said sadly.

"At least you earned that half million back," Shrugged Kyle.

"Much more than a half million, actually." Polly added, and I felt my chest begin to constrict.

"I'm going to be sick."

...

I laid in bed beside Yoshi, my son and my girlfriend that night, lying against my girlfriend, my son lying on top of us as he snoozed away. Yoshi was lying against Toni, sleeping soundly.

"Can I use your phone?" I asked, and she complied, taking it off of the night stand and handing it to me. I went onto YouTube, curious on the news coverage of everything, and typed in keywords, Cheryl Blossom and the first thing that came up as a search result was Cheryl Blossom Fire.

"Breaking News: Cheryl Blossom, owner and CEO of Bombshell Industries is was brought to the hospital late last night due to injuries and asphyxiation from being caught in the top floor of her building during the fire that broke out around nine o' clock on Monday night. No word on her condition yet."

I clicked on the next one down, and it was announcing my condition, that I was in a coma.

I must've been two hours into the video hole when I came across a report from the night of the fire. The video showed Toni dragging me out of the fire. She was coughing and gasping, pulling me backwards through the doors, with something clutched in her hands in front of my unconscious body. It looked like a cellphone, and I paused it, looking closer to see if her phone was in her back pocket.

It was.

Curious, and already slightly enraged, I got up, laying my son in bed next to Toni before running down the hall to my office, where my desktop was. I logged in, and onto the security programming.

I looked at the security cameras outside, and watched the incident from the report from the angle of the outside of the building. Toni dragged me to the street, where the ambulance was, and helped get me up onto a gurney.

That was the point that the phone fell out of her hand. They loaded the gurney up, and brought Toni to another ambulance against her wishes, seemingly, based on the way she tried to walk back to the ambulance that got ready to drive me away. She was pulled back by a paramedic, as the bus drove away.

That's when Nick came into frame.

He was on the sidewalk, right where the ambulance had droven away from. He waved at Toni, who was fuming as she tried to break through the several firemen and paramedics who had to hold her down in order to stop her. He had a smug look on his face as he bent down and picked up the phone, just before walking off frame.

My chest heaven as I became overwhelmed upon figuring out what happened, and I was absolutely disgusted at Nick, before questioning why Toni had my phone in her hand.

It didn't make sense, I mean, if Toni was caught in a fire, I wouldn't even stop to think before scooping her up and running off. Why did she stop to pick up my phone?

I decided that instead of waking her up right now, I'd wait for the morning before questioning her.

I took this opportunity to finally take a deal shower. I discarded my clothes and looked at myself in the mirror.

Everything is different now.

Again.

I wasn't just some other corporate titan like before, I was outed, so I was a corporate lesbian. My brother was killed, so I was the mother of my dear brother. And now, I'm a controversial train wreck with emotional scars and baggage.

And physical scars. 

So many physical scars.

My right forearm was covered in burn marks, healed and scared. My back was still peeling. My left thigh was scorched. My lungs were nearly collapsed in the fire.

There was no fixing me anymore. Not when the person who was supposed be the one repairing me is just as successfully tearing me down.

I wasn't a fixer upper anymore.

I was just broken.


	19. Ninete

It was a lot for me the night home from the hospital, because now I had this new information, and I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking things like, what if the phone was actually hard to find, and she took the time to look for it, at the risk of my life? Or, what if she only wanted the phone, and she knew she had to grab me if she wanted to pull off seeming innocent, but she tried to wait as long as possible in hopes I would die, or I would never wake up?

Why did she even want my phone?

All those questions, suspicions and fears would be put to rest now, anyway, because her I was, sitting across the desk in my office from my girlfriend, arms folded as I assessed her face.

She was watching the footage I watched the night before, her eyes completely crushed, lips quivering as she looked on in horror. She pressed the spacebar to pause the video, and looked down at her hands before covering his face with them to let out a sob.

"Why did you grab my phone, Toni?" I asked, my voice calm, but still interrogative, because my brain was going everywhere, and I needed to know.

"I-I thought you'd want it." Toni tried, and I shook my head.

"Don't you dare lie to me." I demanded, my voice shaky from stress, and paranoia, and lack of sleep.

It was silent, and she looked down at her hands nervously.

"I just need a real answer." I said, tired and ready for this to end when she gives me a good explanation. Any explanation.

All I needed to trust Toni at this point was an explanation, and I'd let it go.

But the explanation that was true, proved me wrong.

"I thought you were cheating on me." She whispered, looking up at me through red, puffy eyes.

The audacity.

"You what?" She asked, and she cleared her throat, sitting up to look me in the eyes timidly.

"All the lying, sneaking around on your phone, staying at work late, I thought you were cheating on me. I thought that you were gonna leave me, or that you weren't, and that I'd be strung along." She began to stammer, and I held a hand up in front of her face.

"You picked up my phone before you picked me up." I whimpered, and she sighed.

"Yes." She muttered, and the rage in my body came out in the form of my fists falling onto the desk angrily.

"You thought that finding out if I was cheating was more important than my life?

"No, I-"

"No, Toni. You walked into a burning building, and you picked up my cell phone, before you thought to save me. That's it. What if I got a call from my lover then and there, hm? Would you have left me in there to die? Left Mason with another dead parent? Hm??" I asked, standing to my feet as rage filled up within me. "You're crazy enough to do that, would you have stayed in there too?" She was silent, as tears fell down her face, and my entire body was buzzing with anger, but also begging me for rest. "You want to know what I was doing that whole time, while I was on my phone, Toni? I was arranging a birthday party, for you!! And now, I'm a social pariah, my friends and family is suffering, you destroyed my reputation, Nicki's reputation, the reputation of potentially half my employees, and you cost me millions of dollars, just because you didn't trust me enough to mind your business, and do something that you committed to!"

I was sobbing as I was screaming at her, my body shaking violently as tears and snot dripped down my face and neck, and she just looked down with tears down her face.

"I'm so-"

"Get out." I demanded, and she looked up with wide eyes, as though she hadn't seen it coming, but I stomped, and pointed toward the door. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" I screamed, and she immediately did as I asked, leaving me for what I hoped would be forever.

...

"Baby, your back is all cut up." Pouted Josie from behind me, where she was redressing the bandages on my back.

"Well my heart hurts more." I complained, fighting off the tears threatening in my eyes, and Veronica sighed, squeezing my hand from where she sat, on an ottoman in front of my bed.

"I understand. What Toni did was out of line." She assured, and I sighed.

"Now I have to try and fix all the problems Dick St Douche caused before they make anything worse." I complained, and Josie chuckled.

"All you really have to do is find a way to trace him to your phone. You can get him for burglary for your phone, and for identity theft, since he leaked out your bank info." She provided.

"I heard that he's on the sex offender's list." Veronica added, and I rose a brow.

"Lots of college roofies and stuff." She divulged, "If anything, you could get his name from Megan's law, the sex offender's website, and post a screenshot on Twitter so that people know to stay away from him." She explained, and I rose a brow. That wasn't a terrible plan

...

It's been six days since I last saw Toni, and my heart aches to hold her in my arms again, but what did I expect? Did I expect all the pain to go away just like that, with her being entwined with my family because of Lulu and her relationship with Betty? Or with the way Mason cries, and I don't know how to calm it, because he wants her instead of the woman who left and came back suddenly?

It wasn't the most ideal position, but I was adamant that everything would be better, once I got this whole Nick St. Clair thing out of the way.

"So, Lulu and I did some research," Betty stated as she barged into my office from the hallway of our house. "We found his name listed in six different sites for having registered as a sex offender." She explained as Lulu followed Betty in and sat in the chair beside Betty on the other side of my desk.

"He's been charged by seventeen women in college alone for roofying them and taking advantage of them," Lucy explained, unfolding the laptop in her hand and typing something in. She turned the device my way to show me his listing, and I rose a brow.

"It would be a shame if this got out, wouldn't it?" I smirked devilishly, and Betty smirked back.

"I knew we were sisters somehow." She said proudly before Lucy spoke up.

"I think we should start by leaking the footage online of Nick stealing your cell phone." The serpent suggested, "I talked to Toni, and she said that she'll accept any consequences of her looking bad if it meant we'd be able to expose Nick." She assured, and I exhaled, not sure if my chest was tight from anticipation, or the sound my the name of someone my heart naturally ached for.

"Oh!" Betty called excitedly, "Chuck said they're already rebuilding the burnt parts of the building, so you should be able to go back to work next month!" She divulged, and my eyes widened in excitement.

"That's amazing!" I laughed, and Betty did so back. "I know, right? Chuck is also working on building a case against Nick that'll bag him for fraud. Everything should be all good in time for Toni's party in March." She assured, and Lucy rose a brow.

"You're still throwing her a party?" Lucy asked, and I shrugged.

"I spent a large sum of money on this, and Josie and Veronica, and you guys all still need to celebrate with her. Why waste that money and space?" I asked, and the two looked at each other as though I had made a point.

Because I did.

It took the time of the Bombshell site rebuild for Chuck, Kevin, Lucy, betty and I to find everything we needed to incriminate Nick St. Clair for what he had done, and it was the same day our building reopened that Chuck connected with the LAPD for a warrant.

Needless to say, I walked into the newly rebuilt bullpen with a kick in my step, excited to greet my employees again. When I arrived at my office, I was met with Kevin sitting in a chair across from my desk.

"Kevin, what's up?" I asked, and Kevin stood up with a soft smile on his face.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything for your first day back to work." He brought his hand to my arm, rubbing it softly as he looked at me with deep concern.

"Kevin, I know you've been my assistant for years, but now that job is reggie's." I assured, and he nodded with a heavy exhale.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm asking you as a friend, not as an assistant." He offered, and something about that made me feel so much better than I had the day before, when I was afraid that I didn't have anyone by my side in this. Of course I had my family, but it was different to have someone with a perspective that is different from what I've gained, and what my family has gained. He started off with an unbiased opinion, and was able to form his own based on who I am as a person, not as someone who is close to him, or when he naturally loved because of our history as family, or friends, or lovers.

"I guess there is one thing, yeah." I hummed, and he stood to attention, ready to take whatever I'd throw at him in stride. "Come to a ball I'm throwing for Toni on March fifth at the Bijou Ballroom downtown." I smiled, "Bring a plus one if you'd like." I assured, and his jaw dropped.

"I-I... Okay!" He laughed in disbelief, his kind brown eyes wide with pure excitement. "I have to go tell my boyfriend!" He said happily before kissing my cheek and rushing out, tossing over his shoulder, "Don't hesitate to call me if you need something!"

The day was slow, considering the fact that everyone was just starting to get into the swing of things, and the fact that about thirty of my employees resigned because of all the scandals, so we were understaffed.

Unfortunately for me, one person in particular did not resign, and it ached for me to see that head of pink hair every time that I saw her walk through the pen to make a repair, or an inquiry based on her photography assignment, but I couldn't just fire her because our relationship ended. That would really give the media the impression that I was using her, and I wouldn't be able to handle myself if she thought that I was using her for her body, and for cheap labor. It was never like that, and it never would be like that.

"Reggie, can you come in here?" I asked of my assistant, who scurried in and stood to attention, his hand raised to his forehead in a salute as though I was a drill sergeant.

"Reporting for duty, Miz Blossom!" He said dramatically, and for the first time since I woke up, I finally let out a real, genuine laugh.

"At ease, soldier." I played along, and he smiled before seating himself in thew chair across from me.

"What do you need, boss?" He asked, and I cleared my throat, holdin my hands together formally.

"I need you to get together a job ad for open positions here at Bombshell magazine. An you do that?" I asked, and he nodded.

"I can do that with my eyes closed." He assured, and I nodded.

"And can you get Valerie Brown in here?" I inquired, and he drummed on his knees.

"Cool beans." With that, he left the room and rushed to the bullpen to retrieve the woman in question.

"You wanted to see me, Cheryl?" Called Valerie a few minutes later from the threshold of my office door, and I hummed.

"Please, come sit." I insisted, and the writer did so.

"What's up?" She asked, and I sighed sadly when I looked at her.

"I heard what happened to you, Valerie, and I just wanted to say, first and foremost, I am so sorry that I put you in the position where people put a lapse in their judgement of you." I said, and she chuckled, waving it off.

"Don't worry about it, honestly, I'm not. I know that it wasn't like that with Toni. You love her, and I can see it in the way you look at each other." She chuckled, gushing slightly at the prospect of me and my ex girlfriend. "I just can't wait until they find out who leaked all of that information about you." She said worriedly, and something about her sincerity made my eyes go soft.

"Your relationship with your fiance ended because of me, and you're not even the least bit upset about it?" I asked, and she smiled sadly with a shrug and a shake of he head.

"I'm upset that we're not together, because I love him very much, but you're not the reason we broke up, it's him, and whoever decided to expose you. Archie should've trusted that I would never cheat on him, and that I would never use anything other than my pure talent and determination to get what I want." She assured, and my chest began to rest easy, at last.

"Thank you," I exhaled, and she rose a brow.

"For what?"

"For being a good person." I sighed, and she chuckled, unsure of what to say. "I feel like this means I can trust you to write my story, is that correct?" I asked, and she sat forward with intrigue.

"What story?" She inquired.

"The story of how I know exactly who stole my phone and spread my information across the internet."

...

"Breaking news: Bombshell Magazine's website published an article this morning, exposing The Blue and Gold's editor and chief, Nick St. Clair as the mystery hacker who released Cheryl Blossom's private information. The article goes in depth about how he acquired her documents by stealing her phone from the site of the fire on December ninth, the day of the fire. Her device reportedly fell out of girlfriend, Toni Topaz's hands when she was carrying Cheryl out of the building and into the ambulance. It also speaks about what exactly was leaked, how Cheryl felt about it when she woke up from her month long coma, and what legal action they will be taking on St. Clair in order to get justice for her inconveniences."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Valerie Brown," I called, gesturing to the women behind the article being spoken about by Ethel Muggs on the news, and everyone cheered as she soaked up the attention she so deserved. Everyone in the bullpen cheered and clapped, commending her excitedly as we celebrated our victory. "Now, all we'll need is for the police to take him in, and we'll start getting the justice we deserve for having been smeared as a company!" I cheered, and everyone lifted their arms in the air as they cheered once more.

"Congratulations, baby." Mumbled Josie from behind me, causing me to jump. I turned around and threw my arms around her to hug her.

"Thank you so much, Josie, I wouldn't have been able to do all this without you and Veronica." I muttered, and she chuckled, stepping back to look at me.

"You're family, girl. Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it." She winked, and I smiled happily.

"Remember though, we're not done." She smirked, handing me a flash drive from her pocket, and I sighed, excited to set free what was in that tiny little device

Something compelled me to turn around, and I looked over my shoulder to see Toni, looking at me from against the wall on the other side of the bullpen, and I couldn't help it. I was stuck. My eyes couldn't look away. It had been over a month since I had actually looked her directly in the eyes, so this made my heart catch in my throat.

God, I missed her so much that it physically pained me not to hold her against me.

Josie and had worked for a good twenty minutes before I had gotten a call from Chuck.

"What's up, Chuck?" I inquired, and the frantic sound in his voice set me off guard.

"We hit a break in the investigation, Cheryl." He alerted, "How soon can you meet me at Tate's?"


	20. Twenty

I ended the day early and dismissed everyone by two today before rushing down the street to Tate's, where Chuck already waited, accompanied by Toni, which made me stop in my tracks. I slowly continued my journey towards them until I was sitting across from the two of them, hands folded on the table neatly.

"Afternoon, Toni." I said awkwardly, and she waved at me in an equally awkward manner. "What's up?" I asked Chuck, and he unfolded a file folder, showing me pictures of my scorched office. "What am I looking at?" I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat from seeing the damage I had done.

"Look at the candles." He pointed out, and I looked at my desk to where the candles were when I lit them, and I was confused to see that they were still mostly intact, the wax walls still built high. "If your candles started that fire, they would've had to be completely melted down, but they hadn't done that yet." He said, before turning that picture over and showing me another, of a broken window from the mail room on the sixth floor below mine. "This is the only window in the building that broke." He divulged. "I always thought it didn't make sense that the fire started on the top floor and burnt on floors underneath. Fire usually rises, so anything below the floor the fire started on would be safe, under almost any circumstances." He explained.

"I got called to fix a leaky pipe on the floor below the seventh floor below, and I noticed that the reason it was leaking is because it was broken, and wrenched up, so that the gas would leak from the boiler on the twenty third floor, into a vent that lead straight up to the twenty fourth floor. With that kind of leak, even just dropping a lighter in the next floor over can cause an explosion." Tonight informed, giving time for Chuck to flip to another picture, one of what looked like a scorched, melted lighter. He flipped that to another, which showed strange marks on a seemingly clean wall where it met with a ceiling.

"Someone did just that." He said seriously, "Somebody threw a lit lighter into the room when they thought nobody would be there."

I didn't know what to say.

Somebody conspired against my company, tried to destroy what I spent years trying to perfect. How could someone do something like that to me?

"Do you know who did it?" I asked, and Chuck rose a brow.

"I was hoping we could take a look at that security system of yours."

...

"So this is the lapsed time of the day of the fire." I explained as I clicked 'lapse' on the security settings.

We watched in silence, both Chuck and Toni leaning against the desk on either side of me to watch as well. My eyes strayed when I smelled the scent of motor oil and vanilla, an ever present smell I only traced back to Toni. I caught her looking at me through the corner of my eye, distracted at the fact that it's been a month since I last felt her this close, and smelt her smell on anything but my sheets and my pillow.

That smell faded away a week ago.

Now, it's like I had been weaned off of the drug of that scent, and her giving it back to me is enabling a relapse.

"There, stop!" Called Chuck, knocking me out of my euphoria so that I could pause it.

I zoomed in on the face of the brown haired man, and exchanged looks between my two acomplaces.

...

"I'm Ethel Muggs, and I'm coming to you with an update on the case of Nick St. Clair and Cheryl Blossom. He is now being investigated for having committed arson against Cheryl Blossom at the Bombshell building on December ninth, when she was caught in the flames of the tragic accident. He is being pursued by every officer in the Los Angeles area, but he has yet to turn up.

Updates will come as we get more information on this case."

Despite having found out that Nick has it out for me, I was feeling great. It had only been a day, and everyone in LA knew what kind of person the CEO of The Blue and Gold was, and that was enough for me.

For now anyway.

I was sitting in the front room of my house, holding my 6 month old son as he slept in my lap, making plans for the party tomorrow evening when the news started to play the news on Nick St Clair.

"I hope he turns up dead." Josie grunted, and Veronica reached across the loveseat to lay her hand on Josie's knee in an attempt to calm her.

"Where's Lucy?" I asked Betty, who shrugged.

"She said she and Toni had a thing."

"A thing?" Asked Veronica, and the blonde shrugged.

"I trust my girlfriend, I don't need to know her every move to know she's gonna be okay."

"Uh, she's in a gang, B." Veronica pointed out, and Betty shrugged.

"If she can get into a fight with a car and win, she can handle anything life throws at her." She beamed, proud of her beloved.

"So when are y'all gonna get married?" Josie asked, and Betty rose a brow.

"Who said anything about marriage?" Betty said suddenly, and Veronica shrugged.

"You two are just... right for each other, I guess. Like, it makes sense in a weird way." She tried, and Josie and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I thought Toni and Cheryl would get married before me and Lu." She chuckled, causing my heart to ache in mention of the girl I loved so.

"Yeah, well she messed up, so..." I trailed off, hearing the last of that conversation.

"Are you just gonna act like a couple in front of everyone there? We're literally the only ones who know you're broken up. Like, not even mom." Betty reminded.

"How the hell did you manage to keep that from your mom?" Josie asked, causing me to shrug.

"It wasn't hard, I just tell her I'm going with Toni somewhere when she babysits Mason, when really, I'm going by myself and crying about the fact that I miss her." I shrugged sadly, and Josie sighed.

"Girl, if it's that bad, you should get back with her."

"I don't think so, what she did i-"

"Is a mistake, and Toni knows that. One lapse in judgement shouldn't stop you from moving through this and getting your baby mama back." She reasoned, and Veronica rose a brow.

"I don't think it's that simple, Josiekins." She countered, "I mean, Cheryl could've died, so it makes sense that she would have reservations. Your insecurities should be the last thing on your mind when you see that the love of your life is in that kind of danger." She assured, and Josie cleared her throat before craning her neck to look at her wife.

"Remember when we first started dating, and that guy was hitting on you when we were walking down the street, and when you told him you were with me, he squared up?" She asked, and Veronica looked down, blushing.

"Yes." She mumbled.

"And what happened when I refused to fight him?" She asked, and Veronica answered.

"I knocked his tooth out." She mumbled again.

"And as soon as I saw he was ready to hit you back?"

"You broke his nose."

"I'm sorry, this is cute, but what does this have to do with me?" I inquired, and Josie looked me in the eye finally.

"My point is that we're all human. Sometimes we're so afraid of getting hurt that we wind up getting ourselves hurt anyway. We almost always regret it, and we almost always wish we could take it back. So one mistake shouldn't make or break your relationship with someone, because if that's what you base your relationships off of, no relationship will last."

"How did you end up getting hurt while trying to avoid it?" I asked, distracted by the analogy, and Veronica giggled.

"She broke her hand on his face."

"Gotcha." I said amusedly before turning to a silent Betty who listened intently.

"What do you think?" I asked, and she sighed before leaning forward slightly.

"I think that the fact that she was so insecure means that she loves you. I don't think that she doesn't trust you, but that she's been hurt a lot, and that she's afraid that she can't have anything without getting hurt again." Betty explained.

"Yeah, if you think about it, she's been burned by almost everyone she's said 'I love you' to. So it makes sense that she'd be counting down the days before you'd get sick of her." Josie rationalized, exchanging a look with Veronica, who looked down to her shoes in what looked like shame.

"What am I missing here?" I asked, and Veronica held herself, causing Josie to scoot closer and pull her close.

"Toni and Veronica used to date, back when they were in the shelter." Josie revealed, and I rose a brow with intrigue. "She cheated on Toni with me." She looked down, and I exchanged a look with Betty before turning back to them.

"Toni eventually got over it, and I don't even know if she was really in love with me, but it still hurts me to think that I could've broken her in some way that makes her feel so insecure that she could never hold a serious relationship after us." She admitted, a tear falling from her eye, and I exhaled.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she's even remotely broken up about it," I assured, "I never sensed any kind of hesitance from her when it came to loving her, so I think you're okay." I assured, Betty nodding in agreement.

"She's so in love with Cheryl that the only interest she has in you guys is that you're happy as a couple." Betty complied. "Who wouldn't though? The cutest couple imaginable." She gushed lightly, and Veronica sniffled, while Josie shook her head.

"Lulu literally jumped in front of a moving car for you, that's what I call One True Pairing." She jested, and everyone shared a laugh.

"Yeah, I really do love her." She hummed, looking down at her fingers as they fiddled with the zipper of the sweater she wore, that was three sizes too big, and not her color, meaning it was obviously Lulu's.

"Are you afraid of marrying her?" Veronica asked, and Betty shook her head, eyes still fixated on the warn down fabric of her sweater.

"I mean, we don't even live together yet." She deflected, and I shook my head.

"Mom said she never sees you without Lucy, unless she's doing some manly chore, or getting something for you." I countered, "And Polly said that you're at Lulu's house almost all the time. You basically already do live together, so it's not like you don't know what it's like to cohabitate. You're just scared that you're gonna end up like mom and Hal." I accused, and she scoffed.

"When did this become 'Diagnosing our issues with Josie and Veronica?'" Betty asked, and Josie shrugged.

"Since Ronnie and I got married and have no issues." She bragged, and I rolled my eyes.

"Show off."

...

"You're sure you'll be okay babysitting, Charles?" I asked, and the curly haired boy waved me off. 

"Kyle knows more about babies than most normal adults, and I worked in a daycare three summers a row in high school, remember?" He asked, and I hummed.

"You're right."

"I always am." He gloated before taking a content Mason from my arms and turning him to face me. I looked into his big, buggy brown eyes and grinned, watching him do the same. I took his hand and kissed it.

"I love you, Mason." I mumbled to him, and Charlie turned around with him, looking over his shoulder at me.

"Mom keeps wipes in the bathroom, right?" He asked, and I nodded. "Dope. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He grinned before closing the door in my face, forcing me to turn away and get into Lucy's car, which was running, waiting for me to get in.

"Ready to do this thing?" Betty asked as I buckled my belt.

"You mean throw a party for the ex I'm still hopelessly in love with?" I asked, "As ready as I'll ever be."

We drove the twenty minutes to the Bijou, where a red carpet was rolled out, press and paparazzi lines up behind the velvet ropes along each side.

I decided I was going to do this the same way as before, where I would wait for Sweetpea to drive up with in a limo and open the door to reveal Toni, who would be in awe of everything as I took her hand, kissed her, and walked down the red carpet, into the ball of beautiful people, dedicated to her.

I wish I could kiss her.

But I wouldn't.

Not here.

Not now.

"Cheryl," I heard Veronica, clad in a beautiful white dress, a look of concern on her face as she brought her phone up to me, flashing me the screen to show me a Twitter moment. "Look."

"Nick St. Clair finally taken into custody." read the article header, and when I clicked on it, I was shocked. "Nick St. Clair was dumped on the doorstep of Mercy Hospital, battered beyond recognition. He had a total of sixteen broken bones, a three missing teeth, a dislocated shoulder, and a seven inch long gash along his abdomen with a depth of two inches. When he woke up in the hospital the next day, he confessed to a number of crimes he had committed, including arson and attempted murder on Cheryl Blossom of Bombshell! Magazine, rape, sexual assault, fraud, disclosure of personal information, larceny, and elderly abuse of his late grandmother.

Many will wonder; Who was this mysterious assailant? Will they strike again? Whoever it was, we all thank him for putting a man like this behind bars."

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Nick was caught, and he admitted to everything he did. It was everything I had wanted from him. Not only that, but he also went through an immense amount of pain? It was a dream come true.

But it wasn't a dream, because I know exactly who did it.

"Cheryl, turn this way!" I heard Sweetpea from behind me, and I turned around, just as Sweetpea moved to open the back door of the limo, revealing a bright blue pant leg, draped over a pair of bright black heels. Then, I saw her.

She was absolutely breathtaking, in every way imaginable.

She was wearing indigo slacks, and a matching blazer. She wasn't wearing a shirt beneath, so I could see the swell of her breasts on either side of the suit's lapels. Her hair was tied up on each side, some draping around her head.

She looked around before grabbing her blue hand pouch and bringing her hands in front of her, revealing black leather gloves clutching her bag. Her eyes landed on me, and her lips parted for a moment, before I rushed toward her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her deeply.

My lips moved against hers as I felt her body falter against mine, her hands wrapping in my hair as her tongue broke the barrier between our lips into my mouth.

There was that same smell, vanilla and motor oil.

God, I missed her. I felt my heart pound against my chest as I revelled in the way she felt against me for the first time in so long.

I wanted to feel her skin though, and her hands were covered in those gloves, so I pressed my hand against her chest, feeling her heart as it matched pace with mine. I whimpered, tears threatening as I held her. I pulled away slowly, noting the way her chest heaved with her breathlessness, eyes bulging as she smiled up at me hopefully. I took one of her hands from my hair and bent her knuckles, watching as she hissed. I pressed my lips against them, and she sighed.

"I didn't d-"

"I know," I assured, knowing that she was going to tell me she didn't hurt Nick to get me back. "I love you." I muttered, and a tear fell down her face.

"I love you too." It was a whimper, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

It was what I craved to hear for the last two months.

I finally, really, actually, genuinely had everything I wanted, and that was all I could ask for, honestly.

We spent an hour dancing like queens, standing out in red and blue amongst a sea of black and white. I spent an hour in the arms of my beloved, dancing, and laughing, and kissing her as the music played, when one song in particular played, kissing my ears with a softness that made my heart falter against the arms of the one I loved so.

"I've waited a hundred years, I'll wait a million more for you," I sang, and I watched as her eyes watered as she looked me in mine. We danced slowly, revelling in the music, in the moment, in each other.

"Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain." We sang together, "Every kiss is a cursive line, every touch is a redefining phrase. I'll surrender who I've been to who you are. For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart."

...

"Ladies and gentle people!" I called through the mic from beside Toni, her hand in mine as we looked around to our friends, including the serpents, the people from Toni's youth center, Kevin and his boyfriend, Joaquin, my family, and, of course, Josie and Veronica. "I want to thank you all for coming to Toni's party, and I wanted to thank you for making her into the beautiful person she's become." I began, and people clapped as I rose my drink for a moment, "This isn't just some party, or some reason to get drunk," I assured, "It's a celebration. It's another stepping stone in Toni's life that you get to be a part of, with all the other important people in her life. This is a time where we all get to band together and show Toni just how important she is to each and every one of us. It's a time where we can truly show Antoinette Topaz what she's worth." I looked her in the eyes, which softened the moment we met, "This is the first day of many, where we get to be a family!" I shouted, causing people to cheer, "This is the first day of the rest of our lives," I stepped close to Toni, and rested my head against her forehead. "Together." I said it sincerely, but everyone could hear it, and as I leaned in to kiss her, cheers erupted among the room, a roar that made the walls shake.

But all I heard was my heart beating against my chest.

All I saw, all I felt was Toni against me, holding me, begging me never to leave her again.

And I wouldn't.

Not now, not ever.


	21. Twenty One

"God, I miss this apartment." I sighed as I looked around at the apartment. I looked down just in time for Yoshi to come running to me, whimpering and crying for me to pick him up and cuddle him.

"I miss you." Toni mumbled as she locked her door, and I smiled softly, walking up to kiss Toni's lips softly. She placed her finger under Yoshi's chin to pet him once before taking him from my hands and taking him to the kitchen, where she fed him, allowing him to eat. I sat down as she put down her bag and removed her gloves before coming my way and sitting beside me. "Cheryl, I just wanted to apo-"

"Don't." I shook my head, "Yes, I'm still upset, I admitted, "but I love you so much more than my anger or emotions could ever let take me." I assured before taking her hand in mine, assessing the open wounds on her knuckles, obviously from hitting Nick so many times. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" I asked, and she chuckled before shaking her head.

"He was drunk when we first got ahold of him." She divulged, and I rose a brow.

"We?" I asked.

"Jellybean got him drunk and seduced him, where I knocked him out and tossed him into Lulu's truck, where we drove to her shop with him." She said quickly.

"What all did you do to him?" I asked, and she sighed.

"How about we talk about that in the morning?" She suggested, moving my hair out of the way of my neck and pressed a kiss there. "Mm, I missed you so much." She hummed, and I hummed back, smiling slightly.

"You didn't even have to ask." I assured, and she chuckled, nipping at my collarbone.

"Yeah, but consent is sexy." She teased before standing up and pulling me toward the ladder. It wasn't long before she was standing beside her bed, looking into my eyes with intent as she unbuttoned the buttons on her blazer, allowing her breasts to fall astray, nipples already taut. She stepped out of her high heels and shimmied out of her pants and underwear before stalking back across the room to me to sway in front of me, taking my hand as she hummed a tune I vaguely recognize, spinning me around until I faced away from her. She wrapped her arm around my waist and continued to move her hips against mine, pressing her lips against my spine, beyond the confines of my backless dress, where one of my burn marks stood adamantly.

She untied the tie at my neck, allowing it to fall down around my waist, where I shimmied my hips against her naked body. I bent down as I moved my hips, feeling her center become hot as I finished uncovering myself. I turned around, and her eyes studied me, from my eyes, not stopping until she went all the way down, and came back up.

"I can't believe he did this to you." She whispered, and I was ready to become offended before she stepped forward to take my scar covered forearm to kiss it tenderly, looking me in the eyes. "He tried to take you down, but you managed to come back even more beautiful as before." She muttered in an amazed tone, and I scoffed.

"They're scars, Toni. There's nothing beautiful about them."

"No," she shook my head, guiding me to her bed by the hand of mine she held. She guided me to lie down, to face the wall, and she climbed up behind me, lying her chin in the crook of my neck to look over my shoulder at me. She ran her left hand over my right thigh over my body, tracing every bump and ripple of the blemished skin. She kissed my shoulder as her digits trembled over my flesh. "Nobody else in the world looks like this." She whispered against my ear. "Nobody else in the world has ever had your strength." Her right hand came between us to run along every inch of my back, which had some sort of ugly mark or scar. "You survived something terrible, and now, you've come out stronger. There's nothing more beautiful than that, Cheryl." She kissed a scar on the back of my neck, and ran her fingers up my thighs until she began to trace to damp folds.

"I like you against me like this." I muttered shakily, and she hummed against the skin of my ear.

"I feel closer to you like this, feeling you against me completely." She nuzzled her nose against my ear before licking a trail from behind it, down to my jaw. "I missed this closeness." She hummed as she toyed with my warmth. I felt myself squirm against her touch, spreading my legs so she could reach directly between them instead of going over me. "I love you." She whispered against my ear, and I reached my arm over her head to pull her head closer to me, so I could look her in the eye while she took me from behind.

"Never leave me again," I moaned, rolling my hips against her hand as she circled my clit with a steadiness that made my heart feel like it was going to explode.

"You're not getting rid of me." She promised, curling her body into me as her fingertips toyed with the entrance of my sex, thumb stroking my bundle of nerves in a way that made my hips twitch in motion with her ministrations.

"Fuu-" I trailed, my back arching against the woman behind my as my backside rolled against her front, which was slick, as I could feel it against the swell of my bum. Her right hand beneath me pulled me against her, resting her hand against my stomach, toying with the skin aimlessly, helping further my stimulation.

I turned around in Toni's arms and pulled her against me so I could straddle her, my mouth latching to her neck, where I sank my teeth and sucked on the flesh. She gasped against me and used her left hand to grip the swell of my backside, sinking her short nails into the flesh in a way that made me whimper against her. Her right hand made its way back between my thighs, allowing me to ride two of her fingers freely, but not before I sank my own digits inside of her so that we could release together.

She ground her hips up against me in time with the rolling of my own until it got to a pount where we were thrusting together, gasping and panting, covered in a thin sheet of sweat as I whimpered, and raked my teeth over her neck.

"God, I love you." She cried, and I hummed, my mouth open as I drooled against her skin, my stomach tightening as my walls fluttered around her fingers, my clit causing my hips to thrash against her, my nails digging into the skin of her breasts, my teeth sinking into her flesh even deeper, curling my fingers up rapidly.

"I-I'm gonna..." She gasped, her ministrations growing sloppy, and I gasped, my body convulsing as I curled my fingers up once more. "Oh-oh!" I cried, her body shaking beneath mine in a way that made her fingers vibrate inside of me. I whimpered at her movements and collapsed, only moving my fingers inside of her to ride out her orgasm.

"O-o-oh my God." She gasped, finally calming down as she laid her forehead against mine, chest heaving against mine, breath fuzing with mine.

Heart melding with mine.

We laid like that for a bit, breaking the silence when I giggled at how sweaty she was, causing her to do the same. She wrapped her arms around me and let her joined hands rest in the small of my back when my head fell to the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

...

I woke up the next morning to an empty bed, and opened my eyes, confused in as to how I didn't sense Toni moving me off of her while we slept. I moved my stand up, my legs shaking as I tried not to stand wobbly. I stretched my legs and grabbed the sheet off of Toni's bed to wrap around myself before slipping down the ladder to see Toni, faced away from me in the kitchen as she did something with her hands on the counter. Her hips swayed to the feel good music playing in the background, over the sound of grease popping from the stove. She was wearing a big red t-shirt and a pair of underpants, the swell of her backside just barely peeking below the hem of the shirt, her underwear becoming visible when her shirt sways out of the way.

"Good morning, sunshine." Called Toni over her shoulder at me, and I rose a brow.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, and she turned to look at me with a shrug.

"I can feel your presence, most of the time." She explained as I walked into the kitchen. "My airways open up, my mind is clearer, and, suddenly, my heart is as light as the butterflies you give me -open up." She demanded, popping a blueberry into my mouth. "My entire body becomes aware that you're around... and naked." She smirked, taking an end of the sheet and pulling it open to reveal my naked body. "Yep," she sighed dreamily, "I missed this."

I giggled and hit her hand before closing the sheet around me again.

"C'mon, it's just me," She coaxed playfully, "it's not like I haven't seen the inside of your butt, babe." She joked, and I reeled back in disgust.

"That's disgusting." I laughed, and she shrugged.

"I thought I'd shoot my shot." She admitted before putting the last three pieces of bacon on a plate and moving it, and a bowl of fruit to the table, which was already set. She pulled a seat back for me to sit on, and I did, as she seated herself and gestured to the spread of bacon, eggs, french toast, fruit salad and orange juice. "Good morning, my love." She smiled genuinely, causing my heart to catch in my chest, but I simply giggled before taking a piece of bacon from the middle place and putting it in my mouth.

"Last night was amazing." Toni grinned over the brim of her juice, and I hummed.

"The best vanilla sex I've ever had." I commended, and she rose a brow before moving the collar of her shirt to the side, revealing a large bruise, which surrounded several open wounds, shaped like my teeth.

"This is not vanilla, Cheryl." She argued, "I had to scrub dried blood from my skin this morning."

"I could've done worse." I shrugged, and she rose a brow.

"I'd like to see that." She grinned, and I shook my head with a laugh.

"Not until after we talk about what happened with Nick St. Clair." I refused, and Toni sighed before taking a bite of her french toast.

"It took me weeks to find him, but luckily, the serpents have connections all over, so when a brother of ours called about him sitting in his bar, I grabbed Lulu, and Jellybean insisted she go too. She got him drunk, asked him to go home with her, and when they got to Lulu's truck, we knocked him out, tied him up and brought him to the shop." She began, and I shook my head.

"I know all of that already." I shrugged, and she sighed.

"I was originally just gonna beat a simple confession out of him, and record it, but then I thought about how he could've gotten off, like every other white man does. So I grabbed a monkey wrench and started... Wrenching away at him." She cleared her throat and pushed her plate forward to cross her arms over the table while she looked at me. "He wasn't talking, so I grabbed my pocket knife and... well..." She trailed off, leaving it up to my imagination. "Then I stopped the bleeding with brake cleaner, which hurts more than getting your stomach gashed open. He told me everything. I was too angry to stop, honestly. He got cocky, about how he was happy that you're suffering. Hence the bloody knuckles." She shrugged, "I made sure I scared him so much that he would confess to everything, and it worked." She shrugged, and I sighed heavily.

"That sounds like a lot." I mumbled, and Toni chuckled.

"Lulu looked more angry than I was honestly. She's the one who dislocated his shoulder and broke like six of his ribs." Toni shrugged, and I rose a brow. "She loves you like her own sister, Cheryl." She assured, and my heart was warmed to hear that.

"The article from last night, it was published by Bombshell media. Who wrote it?" I asked, and she grinned.

"I couldn't trust anyone else to do it, now could I?" She winked, and I exhaled before standing up to straddle her hips upon pushing her away from the table. I wrapped my arms around her neck and kissed her deeply.

This was all I wanted right now.


	22. Twenty Two

"Cheryl Blossom was spotted last night at the Bijou with girlfriend, Toni Topaz for her birthday ball, proudly sporting her battle scars, just a half an hour after her attacker, Nick St Clair was dropped off at Mercy Hospital, mangled almost beyond recognition. An article was published with a time stamp of seven thirty-four, exactly four minutes before the man was even found. The article corresponded with everything that happened at the hospital, according to eyewitnesses and doctors. How was our assailant able to predict exactly what St. Clair would do upon arriving at the hospital-"

Ethel's voice cut off of the broadcast when I noticed Toni had turned off the laptop that was sitting on her counter as I cut vegetables for our soup.

"You did that too, I assume?" I giggled, and Toni shrugged from her place where she stood, sauteing the onions and garlic.

"Watching him for three weeks, you learn how to predict his actions." She assured with a shrug. "I uh..." She chuckled, "I suggested he tell them what he did, because if not, he'd see prison as a better alternative to the kind of prison I'd trap him in." She tossed a carrot in her mouth and chomped down on it when a knock was heard at the door.

"I'll get it." I hummed, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her cheek before pulling her silk robe over my chest to open the door. "Josie?" I asked with a raised brow, and the woman grinned brightly, looking around her shoulder at her wife, who rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Cher. We just came by to see if everything was okay after last night. We were calling and texting all night and you didn't answer, so we stopped by here to see if you were with Toni."

"We had a bet going, I didn't think you'd be here." Veronica grunted, and I rose a brow.

"Don't you guys share all your money now that you're married?" I asked, and Josie smirked.

"For me, winning the bet means she gets to top tonight." She said suavely, and I felt myself blush.

"See, we're friends, but we don't talk about these things." I established as I closed the door to finish helping Toni chop the vegetable.

"We should start," Josie insisted as she and her wife sat at the breakfast bar to watch us prepare dinner. "I could teach you a few things." She winked.

"I don't think you can, Josie, she's surpassed you in every aspect." Toni assured, and I rose a brow when Josie scoffed.

"C'mon, you can't say that the thing I did-"

"Cheryl does it better." She interrupted, and Josie looked down in defeat.

"I'm confused." I voiced.

"We used to mess around, back before Veronica and I got together." Toni admitted. "It's all behind us now, we're grown adults, and she's happily married.

"I just think it's funny that the three of us all know what each other's pussy tastes like." Josie said crassly, causing me to cringe in prudishness.

"Do you have to talk like that, dude?" Toni asked, and Josie shrugged.

"It's the way everyone talks about sex, everyone knows that."

"That could very well just be the way you talk about sex, babe." Veronica chimed, laying her hand over Josie's.

"It is." Toni laughed. "Cheryl and I don't talk about it. Not usually."

"And when we do, it's either shy or mostly insinuation." I added.

"Wait, so you manage to have great sex, and you don't even have to talk about it? How does that work?" She asked in confusion, and Toni and I made eye contact for a moment, looking for an answer in each other.

"I don't know," Toni spoke up, "I guess we just have an understanding of how we feel toward each other. I pay attention to the way she reacts, and if she likes it, I go a step up. I have it all memorized now." She chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I just like to experiment, and if she likes it, I keep going." I added.

"Experiment? Like butt stuff?"

"Okay, changing the subject." Toni said loudly, obviously riddled with discomfort.

"Cheryl, we never got to talk to you about the article last night about Nick." Veronica reminded, and I sighed.

"Toni wrote it. Toni, Lulu and Jellybean did it." I informee, and Josie rose a brow.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised at all." She laughed, and Veronica fanned herself dramatically.

"I'd do anything to see that muscle bound goddess rough someone up." She exaggerated, causing Josie to reel back and look to her wife.

"I'm sitting right here, Ronnie." She reminded, and the raven haired woman shrugged before turning her head to her wife.

"You're telling me you've never thought of sleeping with her in the entire ten years we've known her?" Veronica asked in disbelief. "Her rippling back muscles flexing under your hands as she hits dee-"

"Okay, I get it." Sighed Josie with exasperation, and I made eye contact with an amused Toni.

"Too bad she's in love with Betty, right? Maybe you could've been a throuple." She jested, and I felt disgusted.

"I just associated my sister with Veronica's fantasy and I'm not okay." I cringed.

"Speaking of Lulu, I have a thing with her after dinner, so I'll drop you off at your mom's after this, okay?" she assured while she washed her hands, and I hummed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, and Tonight smirked.

"Don't worry about it." She winked, and I felt myself growing excited. I wasn't sure why I was excited. Maybe I was just ready to have her in my life again. Maybe I was excited to be back to normal.

Either way, this was good.

...

"So you're all good now, for real?" Veronica asked me from the table beside me while I fed my son some applesauce, making faces and noises at him as he hummed and closed his mouth around the little yellow spoon, his little front tooth shining against the light of my dining room chandelier.

"For real." I assured. "Josie was right, Toni had a good reason to be paranoid. Sure, I'll have to build up to the trust I had for her, but I think she's learned her lesson." I assured, mumbling at my drooling baby and clicking my tongue to separate his lips for his food.

"Are you sure it's not because of what she did for you?" She asked, and I shrugged.

"That's definitely one big one." I admitted with a shameless shrug. "I could tell she didn't do it to get me back though. She did it because she was angry, and because she wanted to bring justice to the man who ruined a lot of things for someone she loves." I assured.

"Oh yeah, how is all of that going?" She asked, causing me to click my tongue.

"I've published my own letters in Bombshell, and it seems that everyone understands, and that it isn't going to stick with me. Right now, everyone's talking about the Ball last night, and my dress, and whoever must be Nick's attacker."

"Oh, yeah, people are calling you a hero because of what you did, going out in front of cameras and showing off your scars. They think that with that, how you took being outed, and all the money you donated to all those shelters last month, people think you're like the most badass woman on the planet."

"Wait wait wait," I blinked, shaking my head furiously. "I told them to make it anonymous." I recalled, and Veronica rose a brow.

"Do you really think that information won't get leaked? A bunch of nerdy twenty year olds handle the LA LGBT center's donation center. There's no way someone didn't tweet about it or something. Nobody thinks you did it for publicity, which is nice." she assured, and I sighed in relief. "You really are, a hero, you know that?" Veronica asked, and I grinned in appreciation.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." I smiled, and we resonated together, until Mason let out a loud screech, causing me to cringe when my spine wretched in discomfort.

"I'm right here, monkey!" I called back, and he let out a raspberry, something I curse Kyle for teaching him, since he does it when he has food in his mouth, making the applesauce fly everywhere.

"Is that a monkey I hear?" I heard the echo from the doorway, and around the corner appeared a head of pink hair with a big grin. "Oh my God, he's so big." She mewled, and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"You saw him when I was babysitting last week, Ton." She reminded, and Toni glared before waddling to the baby and pulling him out of his chair. She took his bib off before wiping his face and holding him against her, kissing his bright red hair covered head, rocking him back and forth in her arms as he giggled in her arms.

"I wuv wuuuu." She mumbled, spinning in soft circles as her hand held his head to keep him from falling back.

I missed this. Watching her love him as parents should, treating him like he's the only thing that matters in her life. It was beautiful, even with her scabbing knuckles and tired, baggy eyes.

It was obvious she hadn't slept much in this past month.

I sympathize.

Last night was the best sleep I've had since I was in a coma, and I was hoping to get more of that with Toni in my arms nightly again.

I watched as Toni danced around the kitchen with my son in her arms, moving her head and hips in opposite directions as she hummed to some random melody I'd never heard before, adorned by the sight in front of me.

"Oh, by the way, Betty is probably gonna call you in a few minutes." She said, eyes still stuck on the red headed baby in her arms, and I rose a brow.

"Why?" I asked, and the pink haired photographer simply grinned.

"You'll have to wait and see."

...

Toni was right.

Betty called about ten minutes later with an excited tone in her voice, asking me if I was still going to Mom's for Sunday brunch, which I said yes to.

Now, here we are, waiting for Betty to tell us why she's so happy and excited while she held Lulu's hand so tightly.

"So, uh..." Lucy finally spoke up with a grin, lifting her hand, conjoined with Betty's, above the table, drawing eyes to the rock on Betty's finger. "Surprise?" She laughed, and the table erupted in a frenzy of chatter, speak of just how excited everyone was.

"It's not fair," Betty pouted, "V and I were literally gonna go ring shopping today." She harrumphed, causing Lulu to grin, and wink at her beloved.

"I'm the superior girlfriend here, Betty." She jested.

"How was the proposal?" Polly asked in a squeal.

"She had the roads blocked off in the middle of where we met, and set up a moonlit dinner on top of the hood of a blue Chevy Impala..."

"The same make and model of the car that hit me when I pushed her out of the way." Lulu said proudly.

"She had me dig into the basket first, and the box with the ring was sitting on top of a container of sushi."

"And you pulled this off with just Toni's help?" I asked, and Lulu scoffed.

"I needed Sweetpea, Fangs, Jellybean, and even Chuck, just for the car and the roadblocks." She admitted. "Toni cooked the food for me, and Alice helped me pick out the ring." She finished, earning a wink from my mom.

"You knew about this?" Betty asked scandalously, and my mom shrugged.

"She asked me for my blessing on Thanksgiving, Betty." She revealed, and everyone eyed a now blushing Lulu.

"What? I'm not the smooth criminal I seem to be." She digressed.

"Well," Toni chimed, "criminal is definitely right."


	23. Twenty Three

"Nick St. Claire." Hissed Toni from in front of me, her eyes narrowing at the man through the glass of the visiting sanctuary. I couldn't see him from behind her until she walked up closer to him.

Then I saw him.

It's been two weeks since he was brought in, and his face was still very swollen. He had a smug smirk on his busted lip, and I rose a brow as Toni and I sat down. I picked up the phone to talk with him on the other side of the glass, and listened as he spoke almost immediately.

"It's nice to see you again, Cheryl." He said smugly, and I rose a brow.

"That's how you greet me?" I asked, and he scoffed.

"Did you want me to tell you what I really feel right now? Because I think it would give you nightmares."

"It can't be worse than anything you've already done." I assured, and he chuckled.

"At least I made sure you were asleep when I threw the lighter inside. I could've burnt you alive. Then you wouldn't be dreaming at all."

"I know Serpents in there too, St. Claire." Toni warned. "Don't think I won't pull a few strings." She threatened, and he chuckled.

"What could be worse than dying?" He asked, and Toni rose a brow.

"Not dying." She blinked. "I'm sure it's much more pleasant to feel the sweet release of death than it is to have every inch of your skin scratched off of you, starting at your scrotum." She rose a brow, and I felt myself turn to her with a look of disgust on my face. She didn't even look at me before scooting closer to the table separating us from the glass that contained him. "I don't think you should test me." She winked at him, and I watched his throat tighten in fear.

"What are you two even doing here? Did you come to revel in your victory?" He asked pitifully, and I hummed.

"I was actually coming to get a quote from you for the lawsuit." I smiled pridefully, and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going on trial. I accept the consequences for my actions." He assured, and I rose a brow.

"Why is that?"

"Anything is better than the public ridicule that comes with attempting the life of America's most loved entrepreneur." He divulged, and I rose a brow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chuckled Nick, "I'm ruined now, because you and your company are untouchable. You have all the liberals completely wrapped around your perfectly manicured finger." He chuckled. "You're the poster couple for a healthy relationship in the media, and just your existence has raised millions of dollars for youth centers all over the world."

"Why the hell would you know that?" Toni asked.

"In the month that I was hiding, I checked social media all over the place, and even politicians started to donate money, in honor of you, since media mudslingers are coining me as a homophobic bigot, all because you're now known as the lesbian media titan who cares about women, and people of color. I'm completely ruined, so if I get a chance at using a real knife, I know for a fact that I'll be using it to slit my own wrist. I can't compete with you, Cheryl 'Bombshell!'" He chuckled bitterly, "You've officially won. In case those prison dogs get to me before I see you next," He sighed, standing up and getting ready to hang walk away, "I can't wait to see you in hell." He chuckled one last time before hanging up the phone and walking away.

It's been two weeks, and this morning, a news broadcast played through the television from the front room while Toni and I were eating breakfast with our son.

"Breaking news, Nick St. Claire, former Blue and Gold CEO was brought into the hospital at seven thirty last night after sustaining life threatening injuries. As of five thirty seven this morning, Nick St. Claire was declared dead, due to loss of too much blood..."

"Wow..." I exhaled, falling back against my chair in shock, and Toni scoffed.

"It's what he deserves." She nodded in affirmation, and I rolled my eyes at her shenanigans.

"Yeah, but I would never wish death on someone." I swore, and Toni shrugged before feeding Mason his applesauce.

"He was a pedophile, and a rapist. He tried to kill you, just so he could stay ahead. The man was obviously disturbed. If anything, they put him out of his misery." She said nonchalantly, and I sighed.

...

"Cheryl, Nicki Minaj is in the lobby for you." Reggie shouted from his desk on the other side of my office walls, and I rolled my eyes.

"Let her in." I demanded, and it wasn't long before she was in my office.

"What a pleasant surprise," I grinned, standing up to hug the woman. "What brings you here, Nicki?" I asked, and she sighed as she sat down across from me.

"I just wanted to talk to you about, you know.. everything. I haven't been able to see how you've been since the incident in December." She assured, sitting back in her chair to get comfortable.

"That's really considerate of you," I chuckled, "I didn't think our worlds really crossed all that much." I admitted, and she scoffed.

"Ever since everything happened, I've been hearing about you everyday. Since I was broadcasting our collaborations, everyone knew we were supposed to be working together, so they asked if I was okay. It really felt like I was holding out hope for a friend." She chuckled. "You're okay after everything? I heard that asshole died yesterday." She said, distaste etched across her beautiful features.

"Yeah, my girlfriend really helped me through everything." I chuckled, and she looked at me knowingly.

"She was definitely the one who dropped him out at Mercy last month, you know that, right?" She assumed, and I chuckled.

"I knew as soon as I heard that he was in custody." I admitted, and she sighed.

"That's the kinda love me and my man have." She grinned.

"How is that going?" I asked, and she grinned.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about working together again." She admitted. "Maybe we could do a piece about starting a family?" She suggested, resting her hand atop her stomach, which protruded, something I didn't look at until now, and my eyes widened.

"Is it a boy or a girl? Oh my God." I asked excitedly, something I wouldn't have done before Mason, but now, things have changed.

"Actually, it's two." She squealed, and I joined. "Aisha and Terrell Jordan." She divulged, rubbing her stomach with a look of contentment on her face. "I want to do maternity photos with Michael, if that's okay." She asked, and I rushed to grab a notepad out of my desk to write something down.

"Anything you want!"

...

"I can't believe Nicki Minaj and Michael B Jordan are gonna have twins!" Squealed Josie with a glass of red wine in her hand.

"Don't tell anyone! This is my way to get back up into the news scene! She's gonna keep it a secret until we get the May Issue out." I demanded of everyone seated in my living room, Betty, Lulu, Josie, Veronica, and of course, Toni.

It's become a thing, the girls and I all sitting around on Wednesday nights, drinking wine and talking while Mason napped. It was like our own form of therapy, and it was nice, being able to talk about things without the men talking over the women at each other, like when Polly and Jason and I would bring our respective hetero sexual partners. My boyfriend at the time would talk about something different with Chuck and Jason, while Midge, Polly and I would gossip.

Heterosexual relationships disgust me sometimes.

"Anyway, are you going to the reunion next month?" Betty asked me, and I exhaled.

"I completely forgot about that." I admitted. "I don't know, it's not like there's anyone in school who doesn't know where I am today." I explained, and Betty shrugged.

"Well, come anyway, just so I can be next to you and look like less of a loser." She demanded, and Lulu chuckled, taking her fiance's hand in hers.

"Owning a bookstore is totally winning." She assured, "Between us, we're a couple of entrepreneurs." She joked before looking over her shoulder to me with a joking roll of her eyes. "Get on our level, Cheryl and Toni." She winked at me as I laughed.

Life was honestly so much better than I could imagine.

My family was back, my girlfriend was mine again. My son was healthy, my friends were close, and my company was thriving.

Jason would be proud of what I've done.

I miss him, and Midge. 

I always would, and that's okay. But I will honor them in everything I do.

Mason will know that his parents were amazing people.

He'll grow up with people who love him, in a home some would consider broken, but not me. Not us.

We're not broken.

We're a Fixer Upper.


	24. Twenty Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter!!!

This is complete fluff! It's what you deserve after all this angst!! We got through it together! Please, tell me what you liked most about this story. Tell me who you loved the most here. or what you wish you could see! And for reference, I imagined Lauren Jauregui as older Jellybean and Aisha Dee as Heather. This is how it is for all of my stories. Anyways, thank you so much for all your love and support, and I've never been so excited to read the comments for a story as I have for this one. It's truly my favorite story I've written so far, and I'm so happy you all loved it. This is truly a sad day. Like I'm saying goodbye to something that made me who I am. Now remember, I have other ongoing stories. As of right now, I'm working on Strawberries and Cigarettes, and a new Antihero AU called Dead Eye! Go check them out when you're done here. No smut here, I wanted it to have one tone, and that's what I did. 

Enjoy ;)

"Babe, c'mon, Lu and Betty are waiting in the car!" I shouted up the stairs of our big house before the pink haired woman started to clunk down them, making strange noises with her lips as she held Mason's hands, allowing him to step down each step, slowly and not without the help of his mommy.

"Boof! Boof! Boof! Look, Mason, it's mama, say 'Boof! Boof! Boof!" She said the made up word with every step he made, and he laughed hysterically as they two stomped down the steps together.

"As cute as this is, the reunion starts in a half an hour!" I complained, and Toni winked at me before walking in front of him and allowing him to walk toward her down the stairs while she walked backwards.

"Mama's no fun, huh?" She said, her voice high and childish, reserved for her son and only her son. Also Yoshi, who is her son as well.

"Don't you look handsome?" I grinned, stomping over to take my son from my girlfriend, ignoring her insult. I clipped the laughing redheaded boy into his carseat before opening the little dog door for Yoshi to be able to go in and out. "Babe, how's the new room going?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"I'll show you when it's ready." She assured as she slid on her high heels and checked her lipstick in the mirror on the wall beside the front door. She's been working on it since she moved in with Mason and I in April. She saw that I had a large room on the far end of the top floor, down the hall from our current room, and now she's turning it into the room we'd soon keep sleeping in. "We ready?" She asked, causing me to roll my eyes before taking Mason's car seat and walking toward the door.

"Don't forget his diaper bag." I demanded as she opened the door for me to step out into the late June evening air.

We stopped by my mom's house to drop off Mason with her, Polly, Chuck and Kyle, who all were hanging out in the front room, watching some nature documentary Kyle chose.

"Have fun showing off your success to everyone, Cher." Winked Polly, causing me to roll my eyes. 

"I'm only going because Betty and Toni insisted." I assured, and Chuck gave me a look.

"Sure, kid." He laughed, seating on the couch with Polly lying in his lap and his son lying against his side. "Have fun." He laughed, and I rolled my eyes before walking out.

"You coming, baby?" I asked Toni, who was looking at the screen of the television, which was stuck on a penguin documentary, which made me roll my eyes, considering the fact that I thought Kyle was finally over penguins.

"Gentoo Penguins mate for life," Said the English narrator as a penguin was shown next to its mate, "they present their mate with a pebble as a token of love, as a way of showing them their willingness to give them the best." I rose a brow at my girlfriend, whose eyes were glued to the screen.

"Remember when Kyle was talking about this last year?" She asked, amused, and I rolled my eyes with a chuckle before leaving her to go get in the car.

It was about forty five seconds before she was back outside, and slipping into the backseat of Lulu's black SUV, scooting in to buckle into the middle seat beside me. She took my hand in hers, kissing the back of it.

"I hope you're not too nervous about this." She hummed, pressing my hand against her lips.

"With you, I can take on the world." I assured, and I watched a smile line make its way onto her face, followed by a genuinely beautiful smile. She rested her forehead against mine and we sat there in silence as Lulu drove us to the venue in downtown LA.

There were cameras all over the place, considering the fact that this was an event in my calendar that was leaked back in December, so there were many paparazzi standing around, waiting to snap pictures of my family and I.

I smiled and took my girlfriend's hand before walking into the doors of the venue, followed by Betty and her tux-clad fiance as they walked in just as gracefully.

We walked through the second set of doors, and music immediately flooded our ears as the dimly lit room came into our sight, people I barely recognized, and people that didn't change at all.

We sat down and drank from the open bar, talking amongst the four of us.

"Sweaty Betty got hot!" Hummed a tall, muscular man with a smug look on his face, a beer in his hand as he eyed my sister, standing between her and Lulu. "Long time no see!" He laughed, and I exchanged looks with Lulu, Betty and Toni. "So uh... Where's your husband?" He asked, and Lucy clenched her jaw.

"I uh... don't have one." She admitted, and he laughed.

"Ah, I'm divorced. Ethel left me for that Button guy, the captain of the chess club, remember him?" He asked, and Betty sighed.

"I think it's time to leave." Betty said nicely, and he stepped closer to her.

"Are you sure you wanna leave your friends already? I'm totally down to clown, but-"

"She means for you to leave us." Lulu interrupted impatiently, and he grinned when he met her blue eyes.

"How 'bout you go with me?" He tried, and Lucy stood up, causing his eyes to follow hers, until he was looking up at her tall form.

"How about you leave my fiance alone before I really make you look like a clown?" She threatened through clenched teeth, and his eyes grew wide before he scurried away without another word.

She grinned in his direction triumphantly before turning to Betty, who had a proud look in her eyes, that were cast up at her beloved. She took the lapels of Lulu's jacket in each fist, pulling the tall girl down so that they could lock lips deeply.

"Let's go mingle," Toni suggested, placing her hand over mine atop the table. "It'll be fun." She grinned, and I hummed before standing up and allowing my girlfriend to follow me. "You look..." She spun me around in her arms before bringing me into them and pressing her lips against my ear, "incredibly sexy, by the way." She husked, and I hummed before turning, looking her in the eye over my shoulder before I was completely facing her. I wrapped my arms around her neck, allowing her to place her hands on my hips.

She was wearing an army green bodysuit that had straps, and just barely covered her breasts. I was wearing a red and white ball gown that fell down to my ankles, a slit up my thigh, exposing my scar gracefully. I'd learned to ignore it, and get used to the permanent scar, but with the love and assurance from my beloved, there was nothing that stopped me from seeing just how beautiful it is. It tells a story, a story that shows that I'm not some damsel. A story that I'm a badass.

"You don't look so bad yourself, baby." I hummed, locking my lips with hers, stroking her tongue with mine until I was caressing the roof of her mouth teasingly. I felt her exhale through her nose against my top lip, and I tangled my hands in her long, thick pink locks as my knees began to go weak. She clutched my hip in her hands before we were forced to pull away by a hand on my shoulder.

"Oh," Chuckled a man already mentioned tonight, timid brown eyes being the only thing about him I recognized. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you were uh..." He trailed off before shaking his head and handing me a purple bag. "This is your complementary Riverdale High bag. It has some favors in it, and things that relate to the year we graduated." He offered. "Uh... Again, I'm sorry I-"

"Don't worry about it, Ben." I chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You look great, what are you doing now?" I asked the now tall, strong looking man with a perfectly cleft chin.

I mean, wow.

He looked like a blonde Superman now.

Was I suddenly straight?

My God, Ethel had a great upgrade from that meathead.

"Um, well, I'm the founder and CEO of Button Technologies. We pretty much power your company." He chuckled, "We found a way to make technology out of the pollution we found on the LA ocean fronts. It's amazing for the planet, and it leaves behind almost no carbon footprint." His excitement made his words more articulate, and he seemed passionate, and confident when he talked about his company, and it made me happy to see that he's so successful.

"Ben was voted Most Likely To Become a Millionaire our senior year." Bragged Ethel out of nowhere, suddenly snaking her way around us to his side. "Remember?" She asked me, and I shrugged.

"No, I finished my credits in the first semester of senior year and didn't go for the second semester, until graduation." I recalled, raising a brow teasingly. "Remember?"

"A-and actually, Cheryl's six million dollars richer than I am, so if anything, she should've been voted Most Likely To Become a Millionaire." He justified, and I chuckled.

"Oh, please, your work is so much more important than mine." I sighed, "You deserve more." 

"No, no, you're a humanitarian!" He gushed, "You've helped thousands of minority people find peace in themselves. We're at least fifty/fifty." He gassed, and I grinned, looking over my shoulder to my girlfriend, who looked on in adoration.

"Well, do you see me on the news, reporting your stories, Cheryl?" Ethel asked, and I rose a brow.

"You really shouldn't search for validation in other people." I said honestly, and she rose a brow. "You always seem like you're lost because you're too busy trying to be the person everyone likes instead of being yourself. I did that for a long time, and now look at me." I alluded, and she harrumphed before spinning on her heel to walk away.

"Good luck with everything, Cheryl." He waved, and I waved back before he turned to go after his significant other.

"He's really cute," Toni commended when I turned to her, "is he single?" She asked, and I slung my arm over her shoulder.

"I was thinking the same thing about you." I charmed, and she giggled before we walked off.

...

"Cheryl..." I heard the familiar voice, and my eyes twitched when I turned around and was met with a tan skinned beauty looking at me with a soft, awkward smile.

"Heather," I hesitated, being reminded of the blow her career took when Nick took my phone. "Hey, I'm so sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it," She assured, and I rose a brow. "I didn't care about that. I was worried that my old friend was in a coma." She admitted, pulling me in for a hug. "I'm happy you're okay." She smiled, her red lipstick perfectly placed upon her lips. "This is my wife, Sabrina Spellman." She hummed, stepping aside to show me a blonde woman, shorter than her or I, with a soft smile and kind eyes. "Brina, this is Cheryl." She grinned, and Sabrina hummed.

"My agent and I have been trying to get into Bombshell's radar for months, I'm a huge fan." The warm woman smiled as she shook my head, and suddenly, I remembered who she was.

"Oh, Sabrina Spellman! You're playing Veronica Lodge's love interest in Cardiac, right?" I asked, and she hummed.

"Yes, I'm so excited to start filming with her, she's so sweet." Sabrina greeted.

"I agree. She's one of my best friends." I smiled fondly of my friend. "Well, have your wife give me a call, and we'll schedule something for September, okay?" I asked, and her eyes lit up.

"You're probably so busy with the Beyonce issue for July, I expected to have to wait until next year." She admitted, and I chuckled.

"Well, we have a team that works fast." I winked, before my eyes caught Heather a few feet away, speaking with Toni. They were both smiling..?

"Thank you for treating her right, Toni." She smiled, shaking my Toni's hand. "It's cool that someone in this world actually deserves her."

"I don't." She chuckled, eying me with a loving smile, "But I'm trying to get there."

...

"Ugh, that was amazing!" I gushed, thank you two so much for making me come tonight." I thanked Betty and Toni as we pulled up to my driveway again, and Betty smiled.

"Of course, Cher. I'm happy you enjoyed yourself."

"Yeah, everyone was totally jealous of you." Lulu jested, and I rolled my eyes. "Good night you guys, see you tomorrow." She smiled as I opened the back door and got out, followed by my girlfriend.

"I love you guys."

I mumbled before Toni closed the door and took my hand so we could walk up the steps to the house together.

"Heather is sweet." She hummed. "Jason was right, you definitely have a type." She chuckled, and I rolled my eyes as I opened the door and walked inside. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of white wine, then two wine glasses. She poured some into each and handed me one of the two.

"Thank you, my love." I hummed, and she smiled up at me, wrapping her free arm around my waist before tilting the glass against her beautifully plump lips.

"So..." Toni trailed off. "I told you I'd show you when the room is done..." She looked up at me through mischievous eyes before dragging me up the stairs by my free hand with her own. We were staring down the big oak door, and she looked at me with an excited glint in her eyes before she stepped in front of me, her hands behind her back in restlessness. "Close your eyes." She demanded, and I did so, listening for the sound of the doorknob turning.

She took my hand and pulled me inside before closing the door behind me. She took my shoulders and turned me to the right slightly, and she mumbled as she took my wine glass to set aside.

"Open them."

When I did, I felt my heart clench excitedly.

It was the same bookshelves as the ones in her old apartment, lining the walls from floor to ceiling, other than the round window on the far end, where the bed was, hanging from the ceiling in front of the window cill. It hung by four thick ropes, bolted into the beams of the ceiling above us. The bed frame was made of redwood, beautifully crafted.

"I made the bed frame." She grinned proudly before taking my hand and showing me the bookshelves, where pictures were scattered on the shelves. One of Mason, sleeping in his bassinet the night we brought him home. She must've taken it when I went to take a shower. There was one of my mom, and one of Polly, Kyle and Chuck. There was even a picture of Lulu and Betty. One in particular caught my attention, and I felt a tear fall from my eye.

It was a picture of Jason and I, from when we were teenagers. I was sitting in a kitchen chair at my mom's house, and he was leaning over it, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he smiled at the camera.

We were so happy, and it's exactly how we should remember him, always.

There was a picture of pregnant Midge by the door, and I smiled, missing my dear friend.

"I installed curtains," Toni piped in, showing me the velvet red curtain hanging from the ceiling beside the bookshelves. "I feel weird having sex when a bunch of pictures are watching." She blushed, and I giggled through my single tear before moving to hug my girlfriend.

"I love it so much, Toni." I assured, and moved to kiss her, before she pulled away, dodging my lips.

"One last thing." She held up a single finger with a nervous smile. "They're in alphabetical order." She said, referring to the books on the shelves. "There's a book that reminded me of us when I was at the store with Mason, that day after you took him home from the hospital. I want you to see it." She said cryptically, and I rose a brow.

Nonetheless, I looked around, and my eye almost immediately caught a yellow and black spine that read Fixer Upper in white font, it looked like the letters were glued on, like it was some kind of scrap book. I pointed at it, and looked over my shoulder to my beloved, who grinned.

"Grab it." She demanded, and I did, but before I could open it, she took it out of my hand. "Gentoo Penguins mate for life," Toni hummed, and suddenly, the puzzle made me excited, so I looked around the same place for the letter G, before finding a blue and white book that said Gentoo Penguins in black curly font. I grabbed it, then handed it to her, and she opened it, not allowing me to see inside,"they present their mate with a pebble as a token of love, as a way of showing them their willingness to give them the best." She smiled, and the yellow book fell from between her arm and her ribs, so she bent down to pick it up, but instead, she opened up the blue book for me to see.

The pages looked normal to me.

"Now, I couldn't find a pebble that was good enough for you," She smiled, "So, I got you the next best thing." She turned the page, and a hole was cut in it, the contents being something that made my heart snatch. I immediately felt my eyes sting, tears falling from my eyes as the diamond shined against the chandelier overhead. "Cheryl, I know we haven't been together very long," Toni hummed, "but the kind of things that we went through together are the kinds of things that force you to see things much more clearly. And all I see is my future with you." She cleared her throat before pulling the ring out of the book and holding it. "Will you be in my future? For good?" She asked, and I couldn't speak, I was too excited! I nodded, and put my hand out for her to place it on my finger. She did so, before kissing my hand, and grabbing the two books. She stood up, and I threw myself into her arms.

I pressed my lips against hers deeply, and she chuckled against me before pulling away and handing me the yellow book again. I opened it, and It was littered with song lyrics, right away.

"Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain." It was perfectly written, and the next page was a picture, one I'd seen before.

It was the picture from the beach, the one she took of me while I wasn't looking. Beside it, the words, "This was the day I fell for you, really."

I felt tears fall down from my face as I looked up to my new fiance, whose eyes were cast down to her feet, and I closed the book, before setting it on the bookshelf behind me and closing the curtains.

She rose a brow at me, and I couldn't contain my happiness.

"I love you so much." I mumbled, stepping closer to her, and she wrapped her arms around my waist, stepping backward to seat herself on the bed.

"I love you too." She whimpered before looking up at the bed. "How much do you think this bed will swing if we do anything other than sleep on it?" She asked, and I straddled her, causing the bed to sway slightly.

"Let's find out."

The End.

Or rather...

The beginning.


End file.
